"We learn from those to whom we are sent"

When I think of my service, millions of words and phrases come to mind. I wondered how I could possible capture the sentiments I had in one sentence. However, quote does a great job in conveying how I felt throughout my service journey. When I started my service, I was thrilled to help people, to TEACH people, and to be an impact in someone else's life. As I got more immersed in the community, though, it actually ended up being the opposite. The blind community has taught me more than I ever could teach them, and their positivity and spirit has truly brightened my world. I have gained so much confidence, and my perspective on life has completely broadened and changed. They have given my a zest for life, appreciation for simple things, and an understanding of the power of positive relationships. I have truly found another family, one which always empowers me and shows me that anything is possible. Through my work for art accessibility, the community has also given my a life passion for which I am forever grateful.

I have definitely grown from my service this year! Being in a space that I had never been before, things like the NFB have put me out of my comfort zone and made me a more confident and strong individual. This made me approach things with humility, and gain a growth mindset I did not previously have. Other challenges include taking initiative and responsibility, as a lot of my work in the NFB has been a slow process. Watching the process of bring new ideas to fruition, such as my art program for the blind, has taught me important virtues of grit, tenacity, and patience. As I mentioned before, my favorite thing about volunteering is the sense of community and fulfillment I always feel. The support of the community has made me learn a lot more about my virtues and gain more self-esteem and assurance in my abilities. I realized just how passionate I am about creating bonds with others, public speaking, advocating through art, and leadership. This has opened new pathways that were previously unimaginable in my life, which I could not be more thankful for. I have also learned a lot about others, namely that each person has a unique story and may have way more in common with you than you may think. Interacting with people across the spectrum of visual impairment has challenged a lot of my biases and premonitions about the community and the world, teaching me to view others in more of a complete light rather than let my perceptions dictate my interactions. I now appreciate the multi-dimensionality of every person, and have learned that each person has challenges and triumphs that I would have never even considered before. Tying back to the TED talk about a single story, expanding my ideas has allowed a more holistic experience of the world and inspired me to use these philosophies much more often when interacting with new people.

I cannot stress enough how much I would like to continue and would recommend the organizations to other people! As I detailed above, it has provided a passion that I want to continue on with for the rest of my life. In just one year, I have seen such positive changes in myself, and I'm highly looking forward to more such opportunities to grow personally in the years to come. Every day is a new adventure, and I have had an incredible experience that I would love to build on. Because of this, I would recommend the organizations to anyone and everyone. They have a sense of love and care I haven't found anywhere else, and I believe more sighted people should volunteer there due to how much it has positively impacted me. I am so privileged to have gotten such lovely opportunities, and I would love to give that same positive impact to other people. As a whole, it is my goal to integrate the sighted and blind to make our world more accessible and unified. Thus, I would love more people volunteering, as it contributes to a larger goal of societal change and acceptance as a whole.