Things Are Not Always As They Seem (826 Essay)

When I was first introduced to this program by my mom I were extremely skeptical as well as resistant, not only because my mom would always come home complaining about the kids she had to work with or because of their attitudes and other various issues, but because of a much deeper insecurity that haunts many "privileged" or "blessed" young African-Americans.

I thought I wouldn't be able to fit in with the rest of the interns, being an African-American not to mention a young lady there are already endless amounts of prejudice and stereotypes put not only against me, but also on the people of this world who look like me. It's a shame this stereotype immediately came to my mind, but it did. Over the years I've had to deal with the ignorant side of people, people who would take one look at me and automatically call me the "sell-out" or "white-girl". Of course I could go on and on about why people choose to judge others by how they present themselves or because of how they want to perceive others, but that's a total different story for a totally different time. But what I will say is why people stress about being accepted and having people like you for you; its quite simple actually, nobody wants to be alone. Everyone wants someone to share their epic and meaningful lives with at least someone, many people overlook this reason as to why people want to be accepted, and yet often wonder why the world is filled with loners and outcasts.

Walking the halls of Stone School for the first two weeks, I felt alone. In a box that the world had already assigned for me, an assigned chair with the label "outsider". But as I introduced myself to the others in the program, they were extremely different. They treated me with the same respect as everyone else. It felt like, they had the key to my box, and set me free. I no longer felt like the outsider but finally apart of something, something I knew was great.

While I was thinking about writing this essay, I knew I wanted to touch on the stereotypes I faced as well as let the rest of the world know what the other half of the world lives like, through fresh eyes. What I mean is, while aiding the Staff at Bryant Community Center, I noticed that the kids that come and go throughout the day, didn't have the advantages I did growing up. Some of them, came from broken homes and shattered dreams. Most of them depended on the dinner served at the center because they knew there wouldn't be any when they returned home. More importantly, some of the children never knew what having a home was like, all they had were four walls that occasionally kept them warm during winter, and cool during the summer. I knew that while working there (even if it was for a short amount of time) I wanted to make a difference in their lives, I wanted to show them that there was life outside of the shell of existence they always knew. Of course this is not an easy task to do, especially if your by yourself, but I was determined. I never really knew if I had changed any lives as I planned, but the smiles on their faces when the walked through those double doors re-assured me that I had some sort of impact, and that felt awesome!

This program is most definitely the best and most rewarding experience of my life, I would recommend being apart of this program to any and everybody, because I believe in everyone having a chance to make a difference no matter how big or small. An opportunity such as this one, is extremely hard to find. Not only are you helping other people but your also benefiting as well, by learning about various skills some adults haven't even acquired yet.

After reading my essay I hope I have peaked your interest about joining this program next year, the more interns the better.

As always thanks for reading and god bless ♥