Helping hand at Goodwill

For my community service requirement for the International Affairs Scholars Program, I participated in The Ohio State University’s biggest community service event called Community Commitment on August 25th, 2018. We all were gathered into one of the large ballrooms on the second floor and sat with my assigned group. From there, my group was told that we were going to be helping at a Goodwill store. We then left the ballroom, hopped on a bus, and left for the Goodwill.

 

When we arrived at the store, the manager welcomed us with open arms and led us to her office to discuss what we were going to be helping with. We were sectioned in groups that either helped price and tag halloween decor, makeup, and costumes or helped some of the staff with tagging and racking clothes for the shelves. I ended up in the halloween group where we put price stickers on all the donated items. This didn’t come without difficulty however. Within the whole store, there was only one working price gun. This meant that we had to slowly go through hundreds of items, many with different prices, and mark them one by one.This made me think about how underfunded second hand stores like Goodwill are. They do so much good to help provide struggling people with furniture, clothes, and other necessities when they, too, are struggling as well.

 

After about two hours, our group leader called a snack break for fifteen to thirty minutes. This kind of confused me because we were only going to be volunteering for around three hours and thought it would be a waste to stop so I hopped on over to the clothing section of the back organization rooms and helped this really nice lady named Dolores. As we were sorting our clothes and hanging them up, she told me all about herself. She had four children and she raised them all as a single mother. She talked about her love for cooking and we compared many different family recipes within that hour of talking. She was also a very sassy woman, in the best kind of way, and she told me all about her dislike for Justin Bieber; we also shared the same opinion on him as well. When that last hour ended, she gave me the best hug and said I made her day. When I asked her why, she replied,”Because you talked to me.”

 

Leaving Goodwill should have been a happy occasion for me. I mean volunteering, contributing to society; that should have made me feel good. However, it kind of made me upset. Things like clothes and furniture, and even decent conversations come easily in my life. I forgot that some people struggle to have clean, usable clothing, or bed to sleep in at night. It was not pity I was feeling, because pity never allows understanding and learning. It was more of a check. It put me in my place and made me look at what I had and what opportunities I was given compared to others. It reaffirmed that I cannot waste the opportunities I have been given and makes me even more motivated to accomplish my goals.

 

About Me

[Your “About Me” is a brief biographical statement that might include your intended major, your academic interests, your goals, as well as the things that make you unique.  Definitely include a picture! Also, remember that you can always update this post at any point. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]