My Biggest Contribution by Nyikwa

My Biggest Contribution by Nyikwa - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

I moved to Tennessee a couple of years ago. My mom and I have been residing here for about eight years. We moved from West Africa to America 10 years ago. Since then, we've only ever resided in Mississippi for a short while. Our family friend who also derived from Africa, invited us to live with her since we were familiar with each other.

Moving to Clarksville was a huge accommodation to familiarize myself with. I assimilated into the culture and studied the people here. Compared to its boisterous next-door door city-Nashville, Clarksville was an exceedingly serene town.

My mom is one of the most important people in my life and she's the one who encouraged me to be involved in my community. Observing her struggle pushes me to be the best version of myself. At church, she registered me to be an altar server. Serving God at the altar and assisting our church was vastly congenial.

During my time as an altar server, they required me to arrive at church about thirty minutes before mass time. I'd don myself into the black and white robes. We would then convey the candles and the cross when assembled with the proper attire. Standing by the Priest and Deacon, we would march up to the stage as the musicians performed and placed the candles and cross in their rightful position. When reminiscing about this now, I recall when I struggled to place the cross in its place; An RCIC teacher at the church rushed to assist me. Though embarrassing, I was grateful he swiftly came to my rescue.

Just last year, I attended a group that was part of our church. The Youth Group is held on Wednesday nights. Whenever my mom wasn't working, she'd attempt to take me there. While there we would perform numerous activities; Play games, read our Bibles, eat, pray, and occasionally host fundraisers. Years ago, I recall going on a Youth Group trip to a Holiday World Waterpark in Indiana. The fundraisers required us to strive hard for donation money. The commonly used fundraiser was a Car Wash. Either you were holding a "CAR-WASH HERE" sign in the hot sun near the road or you were bending over to wash the different compartments of a car. I remember the ache in my hands of holding that sign till my hands felt like they would fall off. The next carwash, I participated in washing the cars which I believed would be superior--I was mistaken. Though it was challenging and intense work, seeing our struggle being paid off in the money we raised for our trip felt empowering.

I have made several contributions to my community through serving my church, and the youth group, and participating in after-school activities. However, the biggest contribution I've made to my community is donating my clothes, resources, toys, and much more to impecunious families. My mom and I attempt to gather and donate unused clothes, shoes, toys, and other necessities children in orphanages need. Lending to the less fortunate is vastly beneficial to the community and the well-being of everyone as a whole.

Our community just faced a severe tornado that scattered people's homes and shut down their power. Some are left freezing and desperate for essentials: Food, clothes, hygiene products, and a place to live. Contributing to the community is one of the best things someone should do.