Through Complexion is Community

As myself and my fraternity brother's sit on the bus headed to ASU Preparatory Academy to revitalize and refurbish the school, I begin to think about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as this Day of Service is to honor his legacy. My mind begins to ponder, thinking about where this great man stood on service. Then I realized that I read something of his that was about service:

"Everyone can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul of generated by love."

After remembering this, my day became so much better because I went into that school with a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. I knew that my purpose that day was to work with like minded individuals who would look beyondPublish Post my complexion and see community... that's what Dr. King stood for.

My message to the students of ASU Preparatory Academy

Enriched

I never knew how much a clean street would make such an impact on a urban community. My fraternity, Epsilon Sigma Rho Multicultural Fraternity, Inc. - Zeta Chapter formerly One Love at ASU, adopted 44th Street and Washington to Van Buren to clean up as a monthly project. I'd like to think that the contributions that we made to that one little section of street gave way to a community development plan by building stores and more consumer attractions based on love and support to give back and in to the community. We've been cleaning this street for about 2 years now and I feel... enriched.

Achieve

2011 - NEA-SP Outreach to Teach

It was a tiring Tuesday morning with me being upset that I had to wake up at the crack of dawn for a tough labor project. Not realizing what I would be getting myself into at the Student Leadership Conference for the National Education Association with the community service for the day, I just patiently awaited for further instruction. Myself and 100's of other students from around the US arrive to Dawes Elementary School in Illinois to a full day of service called Outreach to Teach. Throughout the day while I am working on landscaping in and throughout the school the teachers, parents, staff, community members begin to talk to me and tell me how appreciative they are of our services and how much it means to them. It wasn't until I seen a few of the elementary school students with tears running down their faces in happiness for what we have done for them and their school was when it really hit me deep. I got  a full understanding of why I am a member of the National Education Association and how my contributions to this one community changed so many lives. A feeling of.... achievement came over me.

Overjoyed

As I sit in the back of the classroom waiting to do my presentation of campus involvement for incoming freshmen whom goals and ambitions are to become the future of education, I listen to their conversations; how brilliant these students are becoming. I give them a presentation of campus life involvement and how they can get involved. I pose the question, "who likes community service, better yet who loves community service?"  As I expect for little to none of them to raise their hands a surprising 90% of them excitingly throw their hands in the air. Trying not to let my excitement get the best of me, I begin to tell them how astonished and happy that I am to be speaking with them and to get them involved in the great experiences of college life. It's funny how life can uplift you through the ambitions and aspirations of youth aspiring to do great things for a better tomorrow. It makes me feel...overjoyed!