A Call To Serve by Steve

A Call To Serve by Steve - July 2017 Scholarship Essay

I have numerous experiences with younger kids every day, including my three younger siblings. I have noticed that the younger generation seems to be disconnected; every kid has an iPad and is out of touch with reality. This is largely due to the fact that I live in Loudoun County, where it seems like every kid’s parents are working long hours and spend less time with their children. During my TED talk I would address this issue and also talk about my solution. Seeing this issue of kids not being cared for, I would talk about how I set out to get involved in areas where I could shape the next generation.
Basketball opened a door for me to influence kids. While playing the sport is fun, I’ve learned that I can also serve others with this skill. For the last three summers, I’ve been a coach at a sports camp. It was at this camp I coached and taught campers about basketball. I helped them with relatively trivial things, such as perfecting their jump shot, to more serious, demanding issues. For example; one of my campers, Austin, suffered the loss of his grandmother, who had passed away a month before camp started. I could see it still affected him as he was uncooperative and unenthusiastic. So I went out of my way to encourage him and it changed his perspective on life as he went forward with an optimistic mindset. Through this I learned I could be a positive influence on these boys by helping them grow physically, emotionally and spiritually, while doing something I love.
I continued to seek opportunities to serve the kids in my community. An impactful event I volunteered at was Convoy of Hope, which focused on reaching out to the Leesburg area by serving the poor. I helped provide free groceries, entertainment, and more to the kids that came. Witnessing the change I was able to make, I was inspired to co-found a club at my school called Big Raider Little Raider. Through the club, we go to elementary schools and we spend time with the students by reading and playing with them. In addition to this, every weekend I took the opportunity to teach kids math and reading at Kumon. Seeing the kids grateful for my service caused me to reflect on my many blessings as I continue to focus on how I can use what I have to help the next generation.
I watch as Nico frantically throws beanbag after beanbag into the holes to win a prize. I got to serve Nico through Convoy of Hope and I will never forget him. He’s distracted from the reality of life at that moment which was the purpose of those carnival games. Nico comes from a low-income family, and he said this is the only time he can forget about the pain, as he was comforted by my service and benevolence. That day, by watching Nico, I found a calling for my life; it’s not about what I have, it’s about what I can give. That is what I would say in my TED talk hoping to leave a lasting impression on others to help them impact their own communities.