Library: A learning experience by Andres

Library: A learning experience by Andres - May 2018 Scholarship Essay

I have always loved the library. Ever since I could remember, going to the library was one of my favorite things to do. I know it does not sound like the most thrilling experience in the world, but for me, it was a place I could go to the experience fun activities and to sometimes get away from the loudness of the environment around me. It was also a place I could go to do one of my other favorite activities: read comic books. Ever since my brother showed me a couple of the old Spider-Man TV shows, I had become obsessed with reading as much of the material as I could get my hands on. The library provided that sustenance with numerous amounts of free comics that I could borrow whenever I pleased. Also, as someone who came from a not-so-wealthy family, going to the library meant free access to free books. As a high school student, going on college, having that ability to get something for free means the world to me.
It was this ease of access to books that I continue to go to the library to this day. That is also one of the reasons I chose to volunteer there when the time came. In Junior High, I had been accepted to the Beta Club. One of the requirements of the Beta Club was to provide for your community. That meant I had to spend roughly 20 hours volunteering at some place for no pay and no breaks when I did. I could think of no better place than my public library.
Though I did not have the most exciting task: cleaning DVD cases, I still was able to learn a lot by doing so. I got to properly meet and communicate with the other volunteers that I had visited almost every week. That was the strange thing about going to the library. I would walk past the same people almost every time I was there, but there was never any real communication beyond the casual "hello" and "how can I help you?" After spending more time there, I made some real connections with these people. They taught me a lot about volunteering and why they did what they did.
In the end, volunteering with my local library taught me a number of things that I will never forget. Things that I will carry with me to college, and for the rest of my life.