Caroline Dickerson
November 28, 2006
FS 301, Explore UT
Leadership
through Service
As part of a bible
study, IÕm currently reading the book Blue like Jazz, by Donald Miller. WhatÕs interesting is the part of the book that has touched
me the most is actually the authorÕs note at the beginning. The author writes, ÒI never liked jazz
music because jazz music doesnÕt resolve.
But I was outside the Baghdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a
man playing the saxophone. I stood
there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes. After that I liked jazz music. Sometimes you have to watch somebody
love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.Ó[1] These sentences really inspire me. They make me yearn to do something
useful. Yet, they also motivate me
to do something that I am passionate about, something that will make me feel
calm and peaceful at the end of the day.
I have thought long and hard about what kind of a career I want to
make. I canÕt see (never have
seen) myself as a businessman or a Ònumbers cruncher.Ó I will never have the patience to be a
teacher. But I have gotten that
feeling, that close your eyes and feel the music feeling, from helping people.
I have always enjoyed being very involved in my community. During high school, I was a member of Girls Interact, a sorority-like club that organizes service activities. During my junior year of high school, I lived in Washington, DC, and worked in the Capitol. I was involved with ÔHortonÕs Kids,Õ a mentoring and tutoring program for underprivileged children who attend DCÕs inner-city schools.
An
adult sponsor watches a young student read
during
a ÒHortonÕs KidsÓ tutorial session.[2]
In September of 2005, after coming
back to Texas, I arranged a mentor group for children who had relocated to Bay
City after having to flee areas destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. These were children who had not only
lost their homes, clothes, and toys but had also been estranged from their
friends, teachers, and relatives.
They needed someone to talk to, someone to hold their hand as they
crossed the street, someone to give them a reassuring glance. With a little help, the children were
soon making new friends, catching up to the work they had missed, and recovering
from the trauma of the past days. Being
around these kids, seeing their little victories, gave me hope that the worldÕs
plagues - hunger, poverty, disease – can be triumphed over also.
Ever since I was a
little girl, I have enjoyed organizing and taking part in service activities in
my community. My parents have taught
me that it is important to keep in touch with people who are less fortunate
than I. But I never thought that I
could actually transfer this kind of service into being a main part of my life.
My
high school government teacher once said that all volunteer work is
selfish. ÒYou are getting a good
feeling from helping people. You
help them because it makes you feel better,Ó he said.[3] That view upset me at first. I felt guilty because I knew he was
right. I was making myself feel
better by giving my time and talents to others. But then I realized that there is nothing wrong with
that. During the last few months,
I have learned that I might as well do what I love, even if itÕs not conventional
or even what other people do. After
all, other people are going to be happy doing what they love. I might as well follow their lead and
continue doing social work. If I
get a rush from it, so what? Other
people have worse habits and addictions.
My mom has always told me that too much of anything – whether it
seems ÒgoodÓ at first or not – is actually bad for you. But Sir Francis Bacon said, ÒIn charity,
there is no excess.Ó[4] Sorry, Mom! I think I would rather err on the side of a philosopher and
statesman.
The
dictionary defines social work as Òengaging in
psychosocial evaluation and intervention, including therapy, to the extent
permitted by licensed provisions, to effect a change in the feelings, attitudes
and behavior of a client, whether an individual, group or community.Ó[5] This definition is so depressing. Social work is a positive thing. ThatÕs exactly why I want to be a
social worker. As a social worker,
everything I do changes peoplesÕ lives for the better.
In
life, Òthere are always two conversations going on. The first is on the surface; it is about politics or music
or whatever it is our mouths are saying.
The other is beneath the surface, on the level of the heartÉÓ[6] Connecting with people through this second level is the
only way to understand one another.
Without a basic connection to one another, there is just mush!
Working
with people, helping to make their lives better gives me energy. Miller admitted, ÒI love to give
charity, but I donÕt want to be charity.Ó[7]
The fact that people accept help
in pursuit of making a better life makes me respect them. I feed off of their determination.
I refuse to live a
life in which I am forced to live a certain way, to have a certain type of
job. ÒOur ÔbehaviorÕ will not be
changed long with self-discipline, but fall in love and a human will accomplish
what he never though possible...Ó[8] I feel as if I am in love with
volunteering. I can actually
imagine myself being happy living life as a social worker.
Now, how can I continue helping people in this new community that I am in? I can start with what I have. As a new Delta member of Alpha Delta Pi, I can start by taking part in the activities. My sorority works with the AustinÕs Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home for seriously ill children and their families who live too far to travel to the hospital each day. I have already volunteered time there putting up Halloween decorations and working on Christmas lights. However, I would like to have more one-on-one with the kids. I know that, in order to do this, you must go through training and commit to spending a certain number of hours at the house each week. I will have to get more information on the training and coordinate my schedule so that I can give the Ronald McDonald Charities and the children they help the time they deserve.
A volunteer holds the hand of a troubled young child.[9]
Because social work covers such a broad range of activities, I should narrow my goal in order to be more productive in the future. I love working with children. Because I have past experience and, hopefully, will be spending more time with kids, it would certainly be advantageous to continue working with young people. I shouldnÕt forget that I also have a huge background in politics. In many ways, social work and politics interconnect. Social work is outlined by political rights and policies. These political guidelines are defined by local, state, and federal governments. Because the laws can be so confusing, it is beneficial to have a background in the workings of the government. Likewise, social situations also shape the political spectrum. I have noticed that disadvantaged people, whether they are neglected children, veterans, the poor people or the homeless, need more representation in the American government. Lobbying for those in need of representation, on top of doing the physical volunteer work, would be like icing on a cake for me!
I could best
promote the needs of neglected people by starting an organization that protects
and represents them. Before I
could do this, I would have to earn a bachelorÕs degree from the School of
Social Work at the University of Texas. Since I want to lobby, it would also be beneficial for me to
attend law school so I would have an understanding of the organizations and
individuals to whom I would be lobbying.
That way, I would understand the mindset that the politicians and
lawyers are already in and, therefore, be more effective when pushing for them
to help. I would love to attend
the law school at the University of Texas, and, in order to do that, I must
keep my grades (and my goals) high.
If, for some reason, I later decide that law school is not for me, I
have a back-up plan. I could
enroll in the Master of Social Work Program at UT. The Program has two concentrations: clinical social
work and community and administrative leadership. While both areas would be an asset to
me as a social worker, I would prefer to specialize in administrative
leadership. Through the program, I
could hopefully get several internships at a private practice, hospital, and
government organization. These
internships would provide me with a wide background and connect me with social
workers in a variety of positions.
These connections could lead to a full-time job at a private social work
organization, hopefully similar to the organization that I would like to make. From this job, I could later transition
into building my own firm. I will
have to start slow first and build the firm up. Someday, it will be the leading lobby firm for the rights
and interests of neglected children.
ÒThe best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.Ó[10] That is how I want to live my life. I want to be influenced only by the positive. I see myself living in the ways of ahimsa, with only good thoughts for myself and others. The best way – the most powerful – that I can live this way is by making a life of helping others.
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