“The best way to find your self is to lose yourself in the service of others.” –Gandhi
I started this semester pretty puzzled about what exactly I wanted my life to look like in the future, and this was a little scary to me considering I was starting my senior year at OSU and probably should have figured this sort of thing out 3 years ago. I was a social work major who was really questioning if she had the ability to do that type of work and wondering if she had made a mistake. Nevertheless, I braved the autumn semester hoping something would make me believe otherwise. I day-dreamed about some life changing experience that would lead me to what I was born to do or finding some affirmation that the current track I was on was exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
Lucky for me, that life changing experience happened when I accepted a job with Buckeye Civic Engagement Connection. When I first accepted the job, I had no idea what I would be doing. I just knew the BCEC website made the job sound pretty cool, and I thought it could be incredibly rewarding work. I did not know it would change my thinking about communities, the people that live in them, and my part in facilitating necessary change in a person’s environment.
BCEC and my experience as a site leader helped me narrow down my professional interests. I discovered a career option that allowed me to utilize my skills, be creative, and help others. This career was in planning, so I applied to OSU’s Masters of City and Regional planning program. I would never have thought about doing this if it was not for BCEC and the opportunity to spend time in neighborhoods and engage the communities. BCEC has been one of the most important learning experiences in my college career thus far, and I am happy to still be here today.