Volunteering this semester was a blast. I volunteered for two different events this semester, the first was the Dunn Dash. In the Dunn Dash, my role was to count the laps that the runners did around the track as well as encourage them to try their best. I also talked to the runners before and after their scheduled run times. The second event I volunteered for was the Columbus day of service. In the day I service I was assigned to the Habitat for Humanity Restore where I helped sort items in the back as well as lifting vinal flooring onto shelves to prepare them for display and sale. A couple of things I learned about myself during these events was that I enjoyed encouraging others and watching them succeed. The Dunn Dash taught me this and I really enjoyed watching the runner that I was assigned to pass by on the track. Another thing I learned is that I enjoyed the feeling that came with helping the employees of the Restore shelf the flooring. My friends and I helped them get through 250 rolls of the flooring which would have taken them a long time to do by themselves. I got to see how thankful they were that our volunteer time occurred at the same time that these rolls were delivered. This service has impacted me becuase it taught me how to help and encourage others. It also taught me how to push through hard work even when I am tired. Because of service learning, I am a harder worker.

Volunteering at goodwill this semester was a great experience. This volunteer opportunity was through the DSWS day of service and lasted about five hours. This means that all of the volunteers that were with us at goodwill were fellow DSWS students. When we go there, one of the employees explained our tasks and goals for the day. After we finished with the service we had, organized much of the clothes in the store by sizing and color tags we re-arranged shoes so that they were neat and in pairs. While volunteering I learned to be appreciative for what I was given in life and this has impacted me as a leader because it has helped me become more compassionate toward those around me. Because of this service learning, I am, more thankful for the things that I have.

This semester I chose to volunteer for the Columbus marathon. This volunteer opportunity was supplied to me by the DSWS organization and I participated in it with fellow DSWS students. It lasted about 5 hours. While volunteering we performed many different tasks. Things like setting up tables, filling cups, stacking the cups, handing out cups, and picking up trash as well as a couple other tasks. Before coming into this volunteer opportunity I had never been too or seen a marathon before. After watching all the people run by I felt extremely inspired by the runners. Even the slower ones at the tail end of the marathon were extremely impressive to me. This experience gave me the motivation to work harder for the things that I want to succeed in. This opportunity helped me as a leader becuase it taught me how to better give encouragement. Because of this service learning, I am motivated to succeed!

One example of leadership that I have seen is an example through an old soccer coach that coached at my school. He started the soccer program at the high school I went to and coached for many decades. Sadly I never had him as a coach as he retired the year before I joined the soccer team but he still is the best example of leadership I know. He would come to the soccer games even after he retired to watch and cheer on the program he built. He really put his all into making a great program for a sport that’s not very popular in the area that I am from. This shows leadership because it gives an example of absolute passion for a goal that is very contagious especially in a team setting and a player coach setting. It is also showed leadership because as a coach he was not just teaching kids how to shoot and defend but also teaching his players how to respect one another and also how to work hard in school, jobs, and any other challenges that you may face in life.

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