Personal Statement: Wasatch Hills Seventh Day Adventist Church

Bethel Baptist Church never encountered a challenge like this before. The church accepted an invitation to participate in a mission in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Making an appearance in a foreign environment terrified both adolescents and adults. Even with those uneasy feelings, the congregation quickly zeroed in on the goal at hand in spreading God’s love to this needy region. With events such as church cleanup, food ministry, and disaster relief, the church left with a greater appreciation of life, and how lucky many of the citizens in the United States truly are.

I have involved with music since I was a child, however, the thought of architecture and acoustics never came to mind. When it came to high school I soon realized that there were certain designs and elements that each venue had, but never thought much of it. Until this class I never knew how much went into the design of certain architectural structures such as music venues, offices, apartments, etc. Each structure has certain design elements that make them individually pleasing to the people who interact with them. One place that I found to be interesting in regards to the acoustics in a public venue is my church back home in St. Louis, Missouri.

God and church activities have been a part of my weekly routine for as long as I can remember. If it is nine o’clock on a Sunday morning, I will definitely be in a church pew at Highland Baptist Church. My parents make sure that I understand the importance of going to church and trying to exemplify the spirit of Christ daily. I have been given the amazing opportunity to be raised on Godly morals in a strong Christian household. Because of this, God has always been the center of my life, or at least that is what I thought.

In fact, I have been performing community service since I was very young. In middle school, I was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society, I made my service project the donation of snacks, toiletries, and other items purchased in grocery stores. I would collect supplies, packaged them, and ship them to Marines stationed overseas. This NJHS community service project was inspired by my membership in the Young

However, I have also gained many life experiences that some many never have, I have participated in the Ross County Queens’ Contest, went to 4-H camps during the summer, and have had the opportunity to raise and show hogs at the county fair. Additionally being a Camp Counselor, a member of Junior Fair Board, and Junior Leaders great

I have a heart for community service which led to participating in city-wide advocacy campaigns. One of the initiatives was advocating with the Alliance for Quality Education for Universal Pre-K in New York City. I travelled to Albany, NY to participate in an education rally and spoke with my assemblyman Herman Farrell, on behalf of the families of New York City, to gain his support for UPK. Within a year the initiative was approved, and the following school year the UPK program was implemented. As a leader in the social justice ministry of my church I coordinated a Sunday, with the New York City Department of Education representatives, which allowed them to speak to our congregation of over 9,000 members, and enroll children into pre-kindergarten the same day.

I always serve my community in any way possible. I am always a good leader for groups, sports, etc., I always welcome new ideas even if

I helped my community by organizing and managing my church's blessing box since it supplies my community food and other resources to people that are as not as fortunate. Finally, I helped my community by assisting with the Reading High School Alumni Yearly Banquet since it allowed the alumni to improve the core health of the community since they play a major part in my community in various ways. I also plan to do more community service to assist all of the different communities I am a part of, doing this will also help me

By volunteering at my local church and helping with local service projects, I have realized the commitment and perseverance it takes to lead by example. At my local church I continue to help with the organization of my youth group. After speaking at church staff meetings for several months we made it our goal to improve the youth group by ensuring that children and teens of all ages were included and had an opportunity to participate. I was able to create a system where teens who attended high school were paired with a middle school individual of the church. This provided a sense of inclusiveness and made the youth group more enjoyable for everyone.

One of the many things that I take great pride in is my dedication to serving my community. I think it is extremely important for those who are more fortunate in life to give back to the community, and that is why I joined Teen Advisory Council (TAC). TAC, an affiliate of Youth Resources, is a youth-led group of students from different schools in the Evansville area who serve the greater Evansville youth community through various volunteer projects as well as mentoring programs, fundraising, and civic events all based on the five core values of TAC: volunteerism, integrity, excellence, diversity, and community partnership. One of the most fulfilling service events I volunteered for through TAC is the Dream Center, a place providing after school

I have had the unforgettable opportunity to personally raise $1,400 for kids to go to summer camp, whose families could not afford it otherwise. I have worked at food drives, homeless shelters, and kid’s programs in my town, in hopes to make someone’s day a little bit better and ultimately make my community stronger. These experiences shaped who I am today. While I cherish the experience I had making a difference in my own town, I am ready to grow and leave a positive impact somewhere else in the country.

Whether it's helping with cleaning up after an event or donating to my community, I will always be willing to help out. I have many good skills and assets that can help me be better in my community and push myself in school and work. I have a lot of knowledge from over the years. I know how to apply my knowledge in my everyday life

Throughout my life, there have been moments of self-pride in my accomplishments; however, I can honestly say that my proudest achievement was when I was awarded the Daniel Award in my church for being the teenager with the most relentless service. I was proud of this achievement because serving in the church, especially the Kingdom Ambassadors Christian Center (KACC) Children’s department, was not an easy task. This award was the very first of its kind and I was speechless upon receiving it. Nevertheless, during my service, I occasionally felt like giving up due to the stress the job entailed, but I remained diligent and patient to the end.

In the first year, I was a part of a pioneering youth development team in Americorps NCCC Southwest Region. I worked with K-12 students in title one schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, local non-profit organizations, The Red Cross and The Salvation Army. I spent my second year working with underserved youth as a volunteer coordinator for Reading Partners in DC. I learned about the struggles that the students I worked with dealt with every day. I was also able to interact with parents and provide resources for education, housing, food, and nutrition.

In all, I can say that service learning has helped to shape me into a person that I am today and continues to makes me a better person. Service to me is a way of life and I can't image my life without service. I feel deeply indebted to the people who took the time to help me to grow into the leader I am today. Now I spend my days trying to give back to my community the way someone did for