SEPTEMBER | 25th | 2016
I believe finding and growing within your strengths is a continuous process. Throughout my college experience I hope to discover new personal assets and passions. As for now, I believe I bring many beneficial strengths to the table. By way of SERVE I am able to show how hard of a worker I am. I know this a typical “What’s your best strength?” answer, however, I feel as if through service I can truly prove this point. On our first trip to Floyd I was in the group that worked with Habitat for Humanity. Habitat is a program that brings in volunteers to help give back and work with a community or house hold in need. Habitat is one of those "neighbor-to-neighbor links of mutual support and problem solving". This group was entirely made up of girls besides one male returning SERVEr and John, the Habitat for Humanity volunteer. We were asked to dig holes using post hole diggers and shovels. Completing this task was hard labor. However, me and everyone else in the group, never once complained or gave up on the job in front of us. Through my hard working mindset I am able to quickly complete, yet thoughtfully work at any duty given to me.
As well as being a hard worker, I bring about creative ideas to projects we are working on. This can pertain to trips and service opportunities we take with SERVE and problems and service projects within the community. The summer after my junior year in high school I was a part of the Honor Art Student Summer program. I and many other advanced art students were asked to help in the creation of a mural on the side of a building in downtown Wilkesboro (my hometown) with the guidance of a local artist. “The summer enrichment program pairs professional artists with talented, local high school students to create works of public art for the community,” said Cindy Pardue, executive director for the Wilkes Art Gallery. The mural incorporated the portrait of a famous bluegrass singer and song writer Doc Watson who had recently passed away, and other main attractions within Wilkes County. The mayor wanted a mural that would bring the community together as well as attract visitors from other counties and states. It was interesting to see how sizably a piece of art could affect the people within my own community. Just as it was stated in the article, "The key to neighbor-hood regeneration, then, is to locate all of the available local assets, to begin connecting them with one another in ways that multiply their power and effectiveness...". I hope to bring more creative ideas to future events and organizations I am a part of.
As I look for new service opportunities, I consider my passion for kids and teaching. For years, up until my decision to come to Tech, my mom urged me to look into schools that offered teaching degrees and attempted to sway me into becoming a teacher. She saw my love for kids and how I enjoyed interacting with them on countless service trips with my church. Although, I decided not to become a teacher, I still look for opportunities to work with kids. Living in the “bubble” that is the Virginia Tech campus, it is difficult to find opportunities to work with non-college aged students. However, I have recently become involved with the Reading Hour program. I am excited to once again fulfill my love for working with and teaching kids.
Looking at the results from my StrengthsQuest I received ‘harmony’ for my number one strength. I joked with my roommate, Megan, that that’s the best quality you could have in a roommate. Although this is one of my strongest assets if can also be one of my biggest limitations. Sometimes I get so caught up in making sure everyone is included and is satisfied that I end up not voicing my true opinion on a matter. My number two strength is ‘discipline’. I group this in the same category as “rule follower”. Whenever a challenge is placed in front of me I want to first make sure I have read every rule and requirement before beginning. Many people get so caught up in starting a service project that they end up missing an important step and end up causing more problems than there were prior to them starting. My third strength is ‘consistency’. This is going to be played out through the Reading Hour program that I am starting this Thursday. I must be consistent in going to the elementary school every Thursday for the entire semester. My final strengths are ‘responsibility’ and ‘deliberative’. Both of these strengths show that I am serious and intentional about my work. I thought the StrengthsQuest was a great to discover descriptive adjectives that describe you.
I believe finding and growing within your strengths is a continuous process. Throughout my college experience I hope to discover new personal assets and passions. As for now, I believe I bring many beneficial strengths to the table. By way of SERVE I am able to show how hard of a worker I am. I know this a typical “What’s your best strength?” answer, however, I feel as if through service I can truly prove this point. On our first trip to Floyd I was in the group that worked with Habitat for Humanity. Habitat is a program that brings in volunteers to help give back and work with a community or house hold in need. Habitat is one of those "neighbor-to-neighbor links of mutual support and problem solving". This group was entirely made up of girls besides one male returning SERVEr and John, the Habitat for Humanity volunteer. We were asked to dig holes using post hole diggers and shovels. Completing this task was hard labor. However, me and everyone else in the group, never once complained or gave up on the job in front of us. Through my hard working mindset I am able to quickly complete, yet thoughtfully work at any duty given to me.
As well as being a hard worker, I bring about creative ideas to projects we are working on. This can pertain to trips and service opportunities we take with SERVE and problems and service projects within the community. The summer after my junior year in high school I was a part of the Honor Art Student Summer program. I and many other advanced art students were asked to help in the creation of a mural on the side of a building in downtown Wilkesboro (my hometown) with the guidance of a local artist. “The summer enrichment program pairs professional artists with talented, local high school students to create works of public art for the community,” said Cindy Pardue, executive director for the Wilkes Art Gallery. The mural incorporated the portrait of a famous bluegrass singer and song writer Doc Watson who had recently passed away, and other main attractions within Wilkes County. The mayor wanted a mural that would bring the community together as well as attract visitors from other counties and states. It was interesting to see how sizably a piece of art could affect the people within my own community. Just as it was stated in the article, "The key to neighbor-hood regeneration, then, is to locate all of the available local assets, to begin connecting them with one another in ways that multiply their power and effectiveness...". I hope to bring more creative ideas to future events and organizations I am a part of.
As I look for new service opportunities, I consider my passion for kids and teaching. For years, up until my decision to come to Tech, my mom urged me to look into schools that offered teaching degrees and attempted to sway me into becoming a teacher. She saw my love for kids and how I enjoyed interacting with them on countless service trips with my church. Although, I decided not to become a teacher, I still look for opportunities to work with kids. Living in the “bubble” that is the Virginia Tech campus, it is difficult to find opportunities to work with non-college aged students. However, I have recently become involved with the Reading Hour program. I am excited to once again fulfill my love for working with and teaching kids.
Looking at the results from my StrengthsQuest I received ‘harmony’ for my number one strength. I joked with my roommate, Megan, that that’s the best quality you could have in a roommate. Although this is one of my strongest assets if can also be one of my biggest limitations. Sometimes I get so caught up in making sure everyone is included and is satisfied that I end up not voicing my true opinion on a matter. My number two strength is ‘discipline’. I group this in the same category as “rule follower”. Whenever a challenge is placed in front of me I want to first make sure I have read every rule and requirement before beginning. Many people get so caught up in starting a service project that they end up missing an important step and end up causing more problems than there were prior to them starting. My third strength is ‘consistency’. This is going to be played out through the Reading Hour program that I am starting this Thursday. I must be consistent in going to the elementary school every Thursday for the entire semester. My final strengths are ‘responsibility’ and ‘deliberative’. Both of these strengths show that I am serious and intentional about my work. I thought the StrengthsQuest was a great to discover descriptive adjectives that describe you.