The Interchangeability of Life and Service by Robert

The Interchangeability of Life and Service by Robert - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

I've had a consistent desire and dedication to serving my community for most of my life, as evidenced by participation in several service projects. The first major service project I lead was my Eagle Scout Project. I designed, planned, and provided leadership for the building and installation of two changing rooms with benches for a local German shooting club with whom I trained and competed. The most challenging part of this project was keeping all 43 volunteer Scouts and adults focused and on task to accomplish the required tasks for the day. To deal with this obstacle during the project, I selected older, more experienced and higher ranking Scouts to manage sub groups of the younger Scouts to complete certain tasks. Another difficult part of being a leader during this project was staying calm and communicating the proper instructions to the project participants. I learned that communication and flexibility are key components to any successful project. In the spring of 2014 I completed my Eagle Scout project with almost 250 service hours and total of 518 man-hours.

During the spring of 2015 I participated in a weeklong Life Teen mission trip from Christ the King Catholic Church to Cap Haitien, Haiti. We served the poor in the community by helping build new yam farms, which would provide food and become a self-sustaining project for the community. We also organized a warehouse and distributed food, clothing, and medical supplies to the destitute.

Similarly in the summer of 2016 I attended a weeklong mission trip to Matagalpa, Nicaragua, where we assisted the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. We directly served the poor and homeless by distributing food, clothing, shoes and sundries to multiple impoverished areas and by working in their youth program. As a result of my hard work and commitment to my community, I was awarded the St. Peter Claver S.J. Service by Jesuit High School Award in April 2015 for the greatest number of service hours in my sophomore class.
My total of 736 service hours are only outnumbered by the equally numerous lessons learned during my community service trips worldwide. I have truly been humbled by the opportunities that I have been able to take part in during the many years that I have completed community service. The universal need for service has taught me determination and perseverance after enduring dire situations in Haiti and in Nicaragua. I have been strengthened in my faith as well during these trips. While subsisting on bread and water, I have come to appreciate the lives of those worldwide and have dedicated my time in anyway possible to assist and aid these malnourished and impoverished people. My only hope is that I have opportunities presented in the future that I can better help my community and communities across the globe through my community service.