The School That Feeds by Lucia

The School That Feeds by Lucia - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

I settled down at a wooden study table when three students shuffled gingerly toward our study hall adviser. During my junior year at Iowa City High School-the second largest public school in town-I had come to regard this tiny sector of the library as my 5th period home. Immigrant students study in this space every day. I am a third-generation American, and stories of my immigrant great-grandparents have played a formative role in how I was raised. Out of respect for others who have more recently arrived on American soil, I have made a point to volunteer my time during my open hour and on the weekends helping English-language learner (ELL) students in a variety of basic school subjects, particularly English.

That afternoon, I overheard a small group conversing with the ELL adviser. The exchange opened my eyes to a reality I naively had not reflected on until that point.

One of the students told the teacher she was unable to afford lunch and she was sleepy. She said she could not concentrate on her academics and wondered if the teacher might have any snacks to share. Another student jumped in with broken English; it had snowed the previous night, and the boy could not afford socks. He had to walk home and was afraid his feet would freeze.

My immediate emotion was one of concern, followed by a wave of embarrassment. I was ashamed I had tutored these kids for several months, and never once had it occurred to me they might be lacking basic needs. Their words triggered in me an intense desire to help.

I had only attended City High for a few months at that point. In an endeavor to take more AP and Honors classes, I transferred as a junior from a much smaller private school in town. My class size had burgeoned from one of a mere 40 students to one of 500.

Inspired by my experience that afternoon in the library, I ran for Student Body President. It was a long shot, as I only knew a handful of my new peers well. I ran on the platform of establishing a discreet free food and supply pantry at our school, and after campaigning for one month, I won-by one of the highest margins in school history.

While the pantry concept was well-received by both students and faculty, creating something out of nothing held its challenges. I was suddenly in the middle of generating a budget, meeting daily with my principal to identify a proper location, and consulting with Crisis Center specialists on what items to have on hand. I met with a University of Iowa statistics professor to design a survey for fellow students which would help determine what should be stocked in the pantry and the number of students that would use it. This exercise taught me how to approach a problem scientifically and to proceed with a critical mind.

How to raise funds for the project was another test of my leadership. I hand-printed dozens of t-shirts to sell, generating a $700 profit. I was recognized with the Uncommon Student Award at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Foundation in West Branch, Iowa. Additionally, the Foundation presented me with a welcomed $250 grant for my food relief efforts.

I did not want the pantry to be a glorified vending machine; providing fresh food was a top priority to me. Iowa is considered the breadbasket of the United States, but I was quickly learning, through my research, that many of my peers are food insecure and do not have adequate access to nutritional snacks.

We hosted our first giveaway a month ago, distributing fresh butternut squash, potatoes, and onions that I helped plant and harvest from a modest gardening lot located behind the school. The pantry, I am proud to say, is now stocked with nutritious snacks and personal hygiene products.

And socks.