A little about me...
I'm originally from Mundelein, IL in the suburbs of Chicago. I've lived there my entire life with my mom, dad and two sisters. I went to university at the University of Notre Dame where I studied Psychology and Pre-med. I just graduated in May and when I return from being a VV I hope to go straight into graduate school for becoming a physical therapist. I've known for a very long time that at some point I wanted to do service/volunteer work, but I wasn't sure where, when, or what. Once I made the resolution to go to graduate school, I decided it would be a good idea to take a year off to do service. I heard of Vincentian Volunteers through my university, applied, interviewed, was accepted and came! So far it's been absolutely amazing. I've learned so much about myself, now that I'm completely out of my comfort zone. I've also learned so much about working with blind and disabled children and people. I've learned to become much more patient with people and have a completely new definition of what beautiful means.
Why Vincentian Volunteers...
I chose VV for not just one reason, but many. I had applied to a few organizations and really liked them all. What finally made me decide to become a VV was the size of the program, the community living aspect, and the location. I also liked that everyone has a completely different placement - it's an amazing range of opportunity.
My projects...
I work at St. Vincent's School for Blind and Visually impaired children. I am a support staff in the classroom, helping the kids and teachers in whatever ways I can. On Thursdays I get to help teach swimming lessons, which is my favorite day of the week. I also get to help out at the local youth club one day a week. It's been fun getting to know the kids and helping make their play time fun.
My highlights so far...
What has touched me most so far is not any particular moment, but just helping the kids swim on Thursdays. Many of the kids have physical disabilities as well, but in the water it doesn't matter. They're still able to swim, play games and goof around. They have such a strong sense of accomplishment when they master a task. It's fun to watch them succeed.