This semester, I had an opportunity to do service and put various concepts of service leadership learned in class into practice. The experience was great because I had the opportunity to learn a lot from the many activities I participated in and the people I met. My service was in the campus kitchen, and the main activities carried out included cooking, packaging, and delivering food to homeless people and individuals who live in government subsidies and senior homes. The service was challenging because of the requirement to balance my academic and social service endeavors. Each task had to be assigned a certain amount of time and I always made sure that it was completed within the stipulated time. The major highlights of the service included meting interesting people, encountering and addressing various issues associated with social service, learning to become a leader, learning effective time management, and developing new values such as empathy and compassion. The service was a great source of learning and work experience that will be beneficial in my personal, professional, and academic activities.
As mentioned earlier, doing the service was both exciting and challenging. It was exciting because I had the opportunity to learn a lot, meet new people and interact with them, and put some of my academic knowledge into practice. On the other hand, it was challenging because of the necessity to balance my academic endeavors with doing the service. Despite doing the service, I was expected to attend lectures, do my homework, conduct research, and go to the library to study. I gained knowledge and skills from the activities of the service that included cooking, interacting with people, leading, making decisions, packaging and delivering food to people, and solving problems. First, I learned how to interact and communicate with people effectively. The activities conducted during the service involved a lot of interaction, discussion, collaboration, and communication. Every member of the team had a specific role to play. However, everyone would occasionally be assigned other duties in order to learn new things and improve the quality of service. Second, I learned how to perform tasks that were outside my area of specialization.
Before joining the service, I was not used to participating in activities that involved serving other people and addressing their needs. I gained skills and experience related to activities such as cooking, packaging, and solving people’s problems. Serving people allowed me to incorporate several concepts of service leadership into different activities. Third, I learned how to manage time and prioritize duties and responsibilities. I spent a lot of time doing the service throughout the semesters. Therefore, I had to prioritize my duties and responsibilities in order to become more efficient and effective. Different time periods were allocated to various social and academic activities. I have realized that I have been more productive and effective throughout this semester than other semester because of improved time management. I did not have time to waste and every spare minute was spent wisely. I was introduced to the issue of social justice after interacting with people who live in government subsidies and senior homes. Those people had access t limited resources and opportunities because of their status. Majority of them were suffering because of lack of food, proper clothing, and shelter. The high number of homeless people who lacked food demonstrated the height of social injustice that exists in society. Other problems that many of them faced include lack of proper health care, unemployment, and suppression of their social rights. Some of them cited cases of mistreatment by staff and denial of services such as food and health services. I met so many interesting people from who I learnt a lot. For instance, many homeless people shared stories o how they ended up homeless and the various challenges that they encounter in their daily lives. On the other hand, I met professionals that included social workers, lawyers, and doctors.
The experience that I gained from doing the service means a lot to me because it has changed my attitudes and perceptions about the world, how to treat other people, and how to use my time. The service was very tasking and I had to divide my time well to fit all the duties assigned. Sometimes the activities heightened my stress levels. At such times, I would always think of quitting the service and pursuing other endeavors. However, the thought of abandoning people who needed my help stopped me and kept me going. I was touched by people’s willingness to share their problems, interact, and talk openly about their lives. Majority of the people I served made me realize how lucky I was to be in school, to have great friends and guardians, and to have high hopes for a bright future. They made me change my attitude towards life because I realized that my problems are not as challenging as those experienced by other people. I was sued to complaining about my problems and think that life was unfair. The experience was invaluable because it altered my personality, character, and values. Currently, I am more compassionate, patient, and caring.
I have developed great interest in helping people address their problems than I was before doing the service. Lessons that I will carry from the experience include concepts of effective time management, the importance of compassion, how to be a good leader, how to balance personal life and academic life, and how to get out of my comfort zone by serving other people. In addition, I will benefit greatly from learning how to communicate effectively with people with different personalities and characters. There are certain aspects of the service I will ignore. They include the complaints received from frustrated people who wanted preferential treatment, the stress and dissatisfaction caused by stringent work schedules, and disagreements with my colleagues. Disagreements and squabbles originated from some people wanting to work fewer hours than they were assigned or to take simple tasks that were less demanding. I have gained new meaning form doing the service because I have learned about the importance of serving people who are in need. In addition, the experience taught me about the importance of sharing my time with people who are experiencing challenges in their lives.
I will integrate the lessons learned and knowledge gained from the service in my life in various ways. I will use the time management skills gained to prioritize activities in my personal, professional, and academic life. Time management will enable me to perform better, be more productive, and waste little time pursuing unnecessary activities. On the other hand, communication skills will improve my interactions with other people and as a result improve my leadership. Moreover, the newly inculcated values and attitudes will make me a more agreeable and influential person whose leadership will aim to make good decisions and address the challenges that people face in their lives. I will approach my involvement with classes and other life endeavors differently because of the skills and knowledge gained from the services. For example, I will use my time effectively, I will treat people with respect and compassion, and I will always seek opportunities to serve others.
The realization that many people live lives characterized by scarcity and suffering will enable me to be grateful for my life and the opportunity to pursue higher education. After doing the service, I became interested in pursuing careers that involve serving people and helping them solve their pressing needs. Receiving positive feedback from the people I Served was very satisfying. Dealing with homeless people made me more compassionate and sensitive to the suffering of less-privileged people. This experience will influence what I study because I will be more inclined to pursue careers that help to solve people’s problems. Psychology, psychiatry, social work, nursing, public health, mental health, child welfare, and medical health are examples of careers that I would pursue based on the experience gained. Serving people and solving their needs is an effective way of giving meaning to life and achieving personal satisfaction and happiness. Despite the type of career that I will pursue, the experience gained will always influence how I interact and treat my colleagues and clients. The experience gained will be beneficial in my personal life because I interact with different people every day.