Undergraduate / UF - A volunteer experience ("how the brain works") [4]

write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your ideas about student responsibility, academic integrity, campus citizenship or a call to service.

My personal academic journey has been loaded with volunteer experiences that have shaped my outlook on life and my appreciation for the blessings that I have received. I have been able to discover a positive outcome not only in the organizations and individuals I have helped, but also in myself. Of all of these enlightening occurrences, volunteering with the Space Coast Early Intervention Center has been the most influential on my future goals, dreams, and aspirations.

I had spent three years volunteering at an organization that offered little opportunity to grow as person and develop vital skills that would allow me to be successful in life. Following this realization, I immediately made plans to donate my time to a positive program where I could make an impact on the community and those around me. After some brief research I found that the Space Coast Intervention Center was the most suitable volunteer opportunity for my interests and future goals.

The Intervention center is a local, non-profit pre-school that caters to the needs of young children with disabilities. The curriculum uses an innovative and aggressive approach of placing students with medical disabilities such as Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism into classrooms with children who are meeting the development standards for their age bracket. This appealed to me because I always had aspirations of becoming a pediatric physician and I wanted to use this experience as a chance to determine my true desire to care for the health of young children.

On the first day that I was scheduled to volunteer with the children I was nervous about the children's reaction to my presence in the classroom but after a brief introduction, the children were very open and excited to interact with me. On the first day it had become apparent to me that the children had no social divide of themselves regarding disabilities and I was deeply inspired. In groups I would engage in educational and entertaining activities such as art, reading, and recreational time. It was these times that I believe I was able to make a lasting impact on these children through instruction, acts of kindness, and providing a positive example of a role model. The most touching experience that I had while volunteering with the group was aiding a young autistic girl with an art project. This experience was special to me because it evoked the wonder of how the brain works and why this young girl developed at a different pace than other humans.

This experience as a whole was inspirational and allowed me to gain valuable skills such as leadership and responsibility, and also allowed me to gain insight on my career path. I know these skills and lessons that I have gained from this volunteer experience will allow me to be a leader on campus, provide a positive impact on the students I'm around, and focus on my dream of becoming a neurologist.