Induction Day

Hello all.  So tomorrow, Monday March 26, 2012, I become officially inducted as an AmeriCorps member.  After the long 4 weeks of CTI (Training) we are DONE!  It seems like it has been about 4 years, not weeks.  I can't tell you how happy I am that training ends and I get to use my new skills come Wednesday in Memphis.  I applied to be a speaker at induction tomorrow, but was not chosen to share my reflection.  I wasn't too let down since on Friday at our community meeting they let me read it to everyone.  Our community meetings consist of every Corps Member, every Team Leader, and every staff that are on our Southern Region campus.  They were the people that I really wanted to read my reflection to anyway.  We all know how much I love to talk, so this was not that big of a deal to me.  I wanted to share with you my reflection.  It had to be written about what service means to me and how the last 4 weeks at NCCC has been for me.  This is what I said...

Before beginning a day of service I always think of the quote that reads, "Those who can, do.  Those who can do more, volunteer."  Service and volunteerism are vital for human growth and development.  The fulfillment I feel knowing I helped another individual makes me feel on top of the world.  Service is more than a physical act.  Service brings out emotions in me that are sometimes too much to put into words.  Now, doing National Community Service, I believe I am going to feel pure happiness knowing I will be touching lives of complete strangers.  Each and every young person should take part in service during their life.  It only takes one day of volunteering to get hooked enough to make service your life for ten months.

The past four weeks have changed my life.  Before coming to NCCC, I felt every emotion.  The second I got to campus, every emotion suddenly went away.  It was at that moment I knew I made the right choice to leave my Massachusetts home to come to Mississippi.  Immediately we were thrown into vans with random strangers, and boy am I happy that was the case.  From that moment on, and every moment after, I have met people who quickly took a large place in my heart.  Our hands on experience at King's Community has helped us prepare for our new ventures with our teams.  Those days may have been the most sweaty, but they are the most important.  I am excited to put my new skills to work on SPIKE one coming up.  I know these next 9 months will fly by and I can't wait to experience it all.  So to answer the three questions I was always asked before leaving, yes I am in Mississippi, yes I am volunteering, and yes I will change the world.  To close I would like to tell you all one thing.  When I wake up in the morning I put on our beautiful uniform and I look in the mirror.  I look at myself and tell myself I look good.  So today, I would like to tell you all one thing.  You look good.

After the last line, it is safe to say the roar of laughter was contagious.  From that speech on, everyone has been telling me and the whole corps that they all look good.  I felt really honored by the two rounds of applause I got and the fact that I got to share my experience with my friends from here and the staff of this wonderful program.  Tomorrow will be an exciting day and I can't wait to officially be an AmeriCorps Member and get things done!

I will write another blog probably Tuesday sometime before we leave for Tennessee.  Keep me and the other 165ish members in your thoughts tomorrow for our big day!