During my freshman year of high school I made the decision to sign up for a volunteering opportunity under a program called Gliding Stars. Gliding Stars is an adaptive ice skating program for those with special needs, particularly children. When signing up I had no idea how large of an impact this weekly volunteering commitment would have on me. To be completely honest I just wanted to use this service for my college applications. But after the very first practice I knew this would turn into so much more. Fast forward four years and I was saying goodbye to my “Star”, a little girl named Piper whom I had watched grow so quickly in those short years. Tears rolled down my face as I gave her one last tight squeeze. Piper was nonverbal but she always shared her emotions in such powerful ways. On that last day with her she must have known it was the end because she held on to me just a little tighter.
I don’t want to make it sound too easy, though. Piper and I had been through some tough times, including violent tantrums that would roll on week after week and never seem to end. But those weeks that I got to witness her pure joy or hear her little laughter hour after hour made me forget anything else. I learned so much from that sweet girl, including values like patience, appreciation of diversity, and unconditional love. I will carry these values with me for the rest of my life.
My time with Gliding Stars greatly influenced the direction of my life now. This program and the values learned through it impacted my decision to be a part of engineering as well as my choice to join Humanitarian Engineering. Because of Miss Piper I know now that I want to help others with my career, whatever it may be. I no longer think of success as being measured just monetarily, but more so with how much impact I can make on the lives of others. I am so grateful for my time with Gliding Stars and for that sweet little girl who opened my eyes to the love that is available in every soul. All it takes is a little compassion.
