Kaitlyn Sobun

EXPL 291

1/31/19

Reflection A

Service can be used to describe a number of experiences or activities. These

experiences or activities usually involve helping a community in some way. This

could be through direct services provided or indirect community based research or

problem solving for the community. Some direct services could include arranging

goods or services for a group of people in need.

Through highschool and college I have had the opportunity of partaking in

both kinds of these services. Before these opportunities, I only saw service as a

mandatory item on a list of requirements to graduate high school. That being said,

my views on this topic have experienced a dramatic alteration throughout my

experiences.

I started experiencing service through working with children in a couple of

ways. Starting my junior year in highschool, I volunteered as a daily math and

reading tutor for my school’s kindergarten classes. It was here that i first realized

the importance of service. It quickly turned from a mandatory list item to a

fulfilling experience. I saw the growth and progress the kids were making

throughout the year. This tutoring service was offered through the school due to a

lack of adequate education for these young children. I went to highschool in a very

small and impoverished town in Mississippi. The headstart programs available

lacked the guidance and resources to provide the education needed for these

children to flourish in their academic careers. It was through this service that kids

got the extra help they needed to jumpstart their future education. When I first

started the tutoring, I had trouble understanding why the state had not done

anything to fix the problem within the education system. I soon understood that

whether or not the state took notice in these matters it was important to identify the

problem and make myself readily available to assist in anyway that I could.

The second organization I participated in was very near and dear to my

heart, My nephew was diagnosed with autism at the age of five. From the time of

diagnosis, he was placed in a self contained autism specific classroom. It was from

the daily interactions with his teachers that I learned of the Special Olympics. For

two years I spent time coaching my nephew and his fellow classmates. I also

assisted in the games. I found comfort in knowing that these children were

accompanied by aides and coaches in an effort to assure that they were safe while
participating in these fun activities. The special needs community is full of support

and assistance.

Though I have learned alot from all the above listed, I have learned the most

about service when my family was put on the receiving side. During my younger

years, I saw my Mom struggle financially while trying to raise three kids as a

single parent. She always had two jobs and sometimes even three. She was, and

always will be a very prideful woman. That being said, there were times, despite

her constant sacrifices and hard work, that my family needed the assistance of

certain services like food pantries or coat drives. This taught me the importance of

respect and concise consciousness when providing a service. The community of

people that these services are directed towards can be in a very vulnerable state that

requires one to be act with humility.

The definition of service is something that can be very difficult to pin down.

The definition that has been created within my mind has been greatly shaped by

previous experiences with service. Each of these experiences has taught me a new

lesson or tool to bring to future service. That being said I believe that service can

be described as an activity that aims to help a community confront a problem with

understanding, readiness to help, humility, consciousness, and respect.