Why I’m fired up to serve with City Year San Antonio

Serving in San Antonio

I’m originally from San Antonio. I was born at a hospital down town, and raised in the same home on the North East side until I graduated from James Madison High School. I am graduating from Sam Houston State University with a degree in psychology this year, and will begin my year of service either in the midst of my last semester or right after it. Because of everything I’ve seen and been through, I wanted to use my experiences to help others through City Year.

I’ve always loved school, and thought of it as somewhat of a safe haven that provided me with a place to express myself. My financial circumstances didn’t always make for an easy lifestyle at home, but in my classes I could excel beyond these circumstances, as if they didn’t matter. I was not any different than the other kids, and I had the opportunity to prove it. I thought that by coming to San Antonio to serve, I could use my ability to relate to students who are also growing up here, and show them that it is possible to overcome their own potentially similar challenges. Having recently graduated from college, I want to use the knowledge and experience I gained to help shape students’ lives in the same community I grew up in.

I understand the thrill of going someplace new, because I initially had the same feeling. I wanted to go far, and experience something I never had the opportunity to, and then my recruiter asked me if I’d consider my own home town. It made me stop and think. I thought about my purpose, and where and how I wanted to start off in the world. I thought about what it would mean to a student who saw someone come from where they came from, or even just nearby, and show them they could make a difference. A mentor of mine in college told me “it’s not about smart, it’s about work.” I believe a strong desire and work ethic should be all that is necessary to get young people wherever they want to go. Before my service year is over, I want someone new to believe that, and succeed off the strength of it.

Right now, I plan to go into the field of school psychology, and help to debunk a few of the problems with the school system and its connection to students and families. I hope City Year San Antonio will help my own understanding of the challenges that students may face, so that I can make a difference someday. I’m excited to learn from City Year, and to be a part of something so much larger than myself.  I’m both excited and nervous to discover just how much of an impact I can have.  When I worry that I won’t be able to do enough, it fuels my desire to work hard, because I will plant a seed of belief in someone’s head that they deserve the right to and can reach their dreams.