What I Bring to the Table
I feel that when it comes to serving my community that I do bring a lot to the table with attributes that ranges from my strengths to my positive attitude. I have learned through service with my local 4-H camp and College Mentors for Kids at Virginia Tech that I have a strong passion for working with children and that giving up time in my day to help them brings out the very best in me.
One of the biggest things that I bring to the table, in my opinion, is my positive attitude and smile. Whenever I am helping children or giving any sort of service to other, I am always in a very good mood and always speak enthusiastically with a huge smile on my face. This is one way that you can tell that I truly enjoy what I do while giving back to my community.
Another major way I feel that I bring a lot to the table in is my strengths. My top five strengths are not only a representation of me, but a representation of the best parts of me. My top five strengths listed in order are as follows: Futuristic, Individualization, Input, Learner, Arranger. I feel like being futuristic is definitely my best strength and it really helps me when I engage with my community. I am always looking for a way to improve something and make it better. I am a big daydreamer and I have big dreams and plans of what something could be. If I am really passionate about something, then I will “dream” of how to make it better, sometimes with my plans being a little far-fetched, but always looking to better the situation for the long run.
My next strength is Individualization. I really value individuality in all aspects of life, but especially in a community. It might sound crazy and ridiculous to say this because a community is a group of people and most people might say that you cannot be a community while focusing on individualization, but I would greatly disagree with that statement. Every person has to figure out where they stand and find out certain things on their own before they introduce those things to a group. Sometimes when we are in a group setting and everyone is thinking as a group, one idea that somebody else mentions will stick in your head and it can be difficult to figure out your own viewpoint or idea. As an individual, it is extremely important that you find out what your stance is on a topic before bringing any discussion into a group setting or community. I also find that sometimes people work better as individuals on certain projects and that is completely okay, even in a community environment. You can still be a community while focusing on individualization which is a value that I have that I believe I bring to the table in a community.
My next two strengths are Input and Learner which go hand in hand but also contradict each other at the same time. I really like to give my opinion on topics and how things should be done from my viewpoint, but I also really like to listen to what others have to say and hear a solution from someone with a different viewpoint. I find it very interesting to see how two people with two different backgrounds can come up with two completely different solutions to a problem in which both have a valid reasoning. I really like to learn from people, but as mentioned before, I really enjoy working with kids and find that we have the most to learn from them. I enjoy hearing their solutions, and most of the time they are actually very true. The biggest thing I have learned from children is that sometimes we all need a little simplicity in our lives.
My last strength is Arranger. I really like to be in charge and put things together like a puzzle. I feel that this is a great strength to bring into a community and into service because I feel like I know how to successfully help plan events and service opportunities and I also really enjoy doing it. This is one of my greatest attributes and I feel like it is one of the greatest things that I bring to the table.
Lastly, the absolute best thing that I bring to the table is my passion for kids. I can work with kids every second of every day and I would never get tired of it. Working with children is definitely in my future because my passion for them burns so bright inside me. I love seeing how they see the world different and how they can give you a view on a subject that you would have never seen otherwise. Children are definitely the light of my life and my passion for them is the strongest thing that I bring to the table.