Homeless Support Center Reflection

Living in a small town, I’ve been very fortunate to be protected from the struggles of the less fortunate. Volunteering at a homeless support centre in Phoenix changed that forever. When my uncle first invited me to join him, I didn’t know what to expect. I arrived late one evening and was was afraid of all the unknowns of the week to follow. On my first day I realized that my fears were unfounded. When I arrived at the center the core staff introduced to some of the regular “visitors” and they talked to me about their lives and how one mistake or their mental illness changed their lives. We served over seven hundred meals that night. It was shocking for me to see how many people needed something as simple as a meal. I see the job of sitting

The first time that I remember acting on this interest is my fourth grade science fair project “Why are the icecaps melting?”. Winning not only a first place ribbon but also an award for environmental awareness, this can be seen as the starting point of my desire to dig deeper into the future of the world as it changes due to global warming. Of particular interest to me, is the effect that rising temperatures and sea levels coupled with changing weather patterns will have on not just the constantly growing population but also my life. Reading research papers and watching videos online has given me the chance to further my interest. I have taken my new knowledge and applied it to my research paper on the future of the planet with ten billion people. In my own life I am always observing the changes that have happened in my seventeen years on this planet, less snow on my ski hill and wildfires raging like never before are just some of the changes that I see every day. My interest has revolutionized the way I think

I’ve always struggled to understand the nonverbal side of communication. When I was young this lead me to be quite isolated and angry I started lashing out and went into depression. That was when my parents realized that I was more than a little boy going through a rough patch. They took me to a psychologist who diagnosed me with Nonverbal Learning disorder. My life changed for the better that day. At first, I hated that I was different but simply knowing how I worked allowed me to adapt how I behave. Since that day, I have continually worked to understand how I work and make constant changes to my actions. Slowly but surely, I learned a little bit more about how myself and other people communicate. By taking each day one step at a time I’ve been able to overcome what was once a disability. Today, due to my hard work I’ve become captain of my hockey team and vice president of my grad class. I’ve been able to take what some might call a disability and turn it into some of my greatest