Pick a place or activity that is important to you. Tell us a story about your experience at that place or with that activity that reveals something about you.
Volunteering has surprisingly made me view life differently. For two years, it has become more than a quick way of obtaining my community service hours. It's my way of giving back to my community in Flushing, New York. As I was growing up, my older sister instilled this act of kindness in me, since she used to be a volunteer for the Red Cross. At first, I thought that it was a mandatory school activity. However, as I grew out of my selfish stage, I saw that volunteering has many mutual benefits.
Since November of 2007, I have been a proud volunteer at Flushing Hospital's Emergency Room (ER) Registration Unit. Helping many patients fill out the medical forms and quickly bringing in their charts to the doctor is a responsibility that I take seriously. Several people ask me why I choose to volunteer in this field since my goal is to become a political journalist. My reason is quiet simple: to help those who cannot find the ability to help themselves, whether it is a physical or mental disability or a social or political restraint. Through my countless experiences at the hospital, I have been able to accomplish this.
During a summer afternoon at the ER, a young woman named Maribel held my hand as I was about to take my break and kindly asked me, "Senorita, me puede ayudar?" in other words, "Young lady, can you help me?" I advised her to see a nurse first. Unfortunately, the nurse and the present ER registers did not speak Spanish fluently or at all. Maribel pleaded for me to help her because she was alone with her two young daughters. Since she did not know how to speak English, she was lost in translation with the physicians and staff.
When I began giving Maribel a helping hand, I learned that she was a 25-year-old mother raising her two daughters on her own. She was not able to handle her children as we were filling out the forms. When I asked her if she wanted me to hold the baby as she completed the paperwork, she fainted, giving me less than a second to catch the baby. At that moment, Maribel was having a miscarriage. The minute they rushed her in, they asked me to assist her since a language barrier existed. Without question, I did. When Maribel woke up, I told her that her children were fine and I explained what had happened. Maribel sadly told me that she had arrived to this country about five months ago and unfortunately, the father of her children had left them only a month ago. In tears, she thanked me for being her "angel" since she did not know anyone else in this country. At that moment, I was proud that I did not take my break because if I did, perhaps Maribel would have not received proper medical care or may have left the hospital.
Volunteering at the Emergency Room every Friday night has helped me appreciate life where people should receive and give in return. Working side by side with other registers has helped me see the importance of how working as a team would bring a patient one step closer to receiving medical care. Even though in return we only receive a thank you, the intention behind it is what matters the most. A patient like Maribel is the reason why, today, I am a volunteer at the hospital. Volunteering shows how far a bit of kindness can go and how I can be part of it.
Volunteering has surprisingly made me view life differently. For two years, it has become more than a quick way of obtaining my community service hours. It's my way of giving back to my community in Flushing, New York. As I was growing up, my older sister instilled this act of kindness in me, since she used to be a volunteer for the Red Cross. At first, I thought that it was a mandatory school activity. However, as I grew out of my selfish stage, I saw that volunteering has many mutual benefits.
Since November of 2007, I have been a proud volunteer at Flushing Hospital's Emergency Room (ER) Registration Unit. Helping many patients fill out the medical forms and quickly bringing in their charts to the doctor is a responsibility that I take seriously. Several people ask me why I choose to volunteer in this field since my goal is to become a political journalist. My reason is quiet simple: to help those who cannot find the ability to help themselves, whether it is a physical or mental disability or a social or political restraint. Through my countless experiences at the hospital, I have been able to accomplish this.
During a summer afternoon at the ER, a young woman named Maribel held my hand as I was about to take my break and kindly asked me, "Senorita, me puede ayudar?" in other words, "Young lady, can you help me?" I advised her to see a nurse first. Unfortunately, the nurse and the present ER registers did not speak Spanish fluently or at all. Maribel pleaded for me to help her because she was alone with her two young daughters. Since she did not know how to speak English, she was lost in translation with the physicians and staff.
When I began giving Maribel a helping hand, I learned that she was a 25-year-old mother raising her two daughters on her own. She was not able to handle her children as we were filling out the forms. When I asked her if she wanted me to hold the baby as she completed the paperwork, she fainted, giving me less than a second to catch the baby. At that moment, Maribel was having a miscarriage. The minute they rushed her in, they asked me to assist her since a language barrier existed. Without question, I did. When Maribel woke up, I told her that her children were fine and I explained what had happened. Maribel sadly told me that she had arrived to this country about five months ago and unfortunately, the father of her children had left them only a month ago. In tears, she thanked me for being her "angel" since she did not know anyone else in this country. At that moment, I was proud that I did not take my break because if I did, perhaps Maribel would have not received proper medical care or may have left the hospital.
Volunteering at the Emergency Room every Friday night has helped me appreciate life where people should receive and give in return. Working side by side with other registers has helped me see the importance of how working as a team would bring a patient one step closer to receiving medical care. Even though in return we only receive a thank you, the intention behind it is what matters the most. A patient like Maribel is the reason why, today, I am a volunteer at the hospital. Volunteering shows how far a bit of kindness can go and how I can be part of it.
