Lessons in Perspectives by Amra

Lessons in Perspectives by Amra - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Volunteering has quite literally changed my life.

Growing up heavily sheltered created an individualistic attitude towards life. I was only familiar with that which directly concerned me, and had very limited knowledge of other possible perspectives and ways of life other than my own.

Therefore, my small bubble of a world promptly burst when I started volunteering at a local community outreach center, specializing in tutoring young children under fifteen. Here, an accumulation of various backgrounds, circumstances, special needs, disabilities, personalities, ages, and beliefs were gathered under one roof. It felt like getting hit by a ton of bricks, and I realized that I had been ignorant about my own community.

"XXX what is your favorite food?" I casually asked one of my kids. I was expecting another small talk-esque response when I was caught off guard by an innocent, simple statement: "I dunno, it depends what they have ready for us, the homeless shelter doesn't have that many good food options. But my favorite is on Fridays when Miss XXX brings us desserts sometimes. I love the cookies she makes". She said it so matter-of-factly that I couldn't help but take a few moments to process what she said.

XXX was a new student assigned under my supervision around the time I started working at the outreach center. She had only been attending sessions a few times a week, but I had never realized she was homeless. Actually, I hadn't realized a lot of things. I made sure to learn about all of the people I came across, trying to establish relationships with all of the members.

This experience has shown me both the beautiful and dark sides of life, my community, and society as a whole. I cannot express enough how much this opportunity has opened my eyes to different perspectives / situations I could never imagine going through myself, let alone at their age. I learned the important lesson of the dangers of ignorance, how in order to change to happen, the first step is to place yourself in other people’s shoes.

I am planning to volunteer at my local food bank this summer, while I have already taken up other community related activities such as maintaining the community garden and servicing the homeless shelter on the weekends. This has only broadened my outlook on life; with every new person I meet, I am able to understand another perspective.