Reflection 2

I'm not sure how to answer this question. Right now I think some unrealistic expectations of the RA's are their psychic ability to know when someone is doing something wrong and their undying ability to prove it. I believe that residents should be punished for everything they do wrong to help enforce the rules of campus life, but I also feel like administration and students expect the RA to know when something is going wrong and catch it in an instant. For example if a student complains that incense is being used in a room on their floor, the student expects the RA to find it and punish the person with the incense. Chances are the RA won't be able to find them and even if they do, the incense could be gone or it could've been something cooking in the microwave. I really think everyone expects, since some students have the title Resident Assistant, that they can do anything and everything. The truth is not everything can be prevented and not all cases can be proved. RA's aren't superheroes, the title is nothing but a title and a way of life, no new abilities are obtained when the title is gained and i think a lot of people forget that.

Reflection 1

Volunteering is a big part of my life. When i was in high school i did a LOT of volunteering especially with the american cancer society and with a group from my high school called angels 4 champs. Angels 4 Champs was a club and Champs 4 Kids was the non profit. In Angels 4 Champs we raised money for pediatric AIDS by doing a lot of service projects.

With the American Cancer society I did Relay for Life. Relay for life is a 24 hour walk-a-thon. Schools register to take place in the event closest to them, which is usually at a high school track, a captain is elected and the captain attends captain meetings. Each school gets a plot on the grass in the middle of the track and they set up a campsite. Teams fund raise all year and then go to the event which is the most amazing thing in the world. Tons of people come together to support one cause and it's really beautiful. I was a captain all four years i was in high school, so i had a lot of experience with this event. Every event has a DJ and a lot of fun activities. Each campsite brings their own things to sell, to raise more money and often teams will bring cool activity ideas to keep them occupied the whole time. One team member must stay on the track at all times though, which is the only catch. Building up to this event family, friends, and students from the team can purchase luminaries. On the luminaries bag the purchaser puts a survivor or a person who was lost in the battle of cancer. At the event the luminaries are set up around the track and light. All of the attendees gather around the edge of the track and watch as the cancer survivors take their lap around. Everyone claps as the survivors pass and the next time around everyone joins in behind them walking around the track and to look at the names on the bags. There is no music while the survivor lap goes on and after the survivor lap every name turned in on a luminaries is read aloud and states whether they are a survivor or that we have lost them. This is the best part of the event, because it is sentimental and not a dry eye is in sight. It's just amazing how many people have won and how many people we have lost to cancer. The thing i love about this event is everyone's desire to help and raise as much money as they can for this cause. It's also amazing how much people will pull together and how much they are willing to do for this cause. At my high school we lost two students to cancer so this event was very dear to our hearts. People can amaze you when you give them the chance to. I love seeing people do their best and be happy and i love when people come together for things those things make events so magical for me. I think that is why i love this event so much.

The next events that i really love were with Angels 4 Champs. I did a lot of really interesting events with Angels 4 Champs. Our biggest fund raiser was gift wrapping at the Zany Brainy, the toy store. We used to gift wrap there during the winter holiday season and for spring holidays. Let me tell you, those were the best days of my life. I would volunteer for the whole day just because it was so much fun. I loved being around people all day and helping people by gift wrapping their presents. I became a pro gift wrapper by the end of my second day. My friends were also in Angels 4 Champs, but it was different for me because i had such a close relationship with the woman who ran it. I would sit and talk to her all day while i was gift wrapping. I was her number one volunteer my freshman, sophomore, and junior years. When I was at Zany Brainy and a lot of other gift wrappers were there i would get to stand at the door and tell people about what we were doing. This organization really helped me open up to new people and made me a lot more energetic about life. I feel like if i did not participate in Angels 4 Champs activities i would not be here today. Volunteering changed my life. Angels 4 Champs opened so many doors for me with volunteering in high school. Other activities we did with Angels 4 Champs were the AIDS walk. The AIDS walk used to be different than it is today. The walk we did was independent of the AIDS task force, but now they are together. I used to have so much fun at that walk, because i was able to meet new people and help people. Helping people is one of my favorite things in the WHOLE world. I love people and this event let me meet so many more people that i didn't even know what to do because i was so excited. I love events with people and responsibilities. I am trying to do a lot more walks now that i am settled into high school, but Angels 4 Champs and Champs 4 Kids doesn't exist anymore so I am out on my own.

I applied to start volunteering with the humane society and other animal shelters and i hope to start volunteering a lot more with outside organization while I am at Chatham. Who knows, maybe we'll have a Relay 4 Life event next year!