You Must Be the Change You Wish to See in the World

How do I begin to summarize such an incredible week? When I got to LAX last Sunday, I had no idea what exactly was in store for the week. Our first day at Woodcrest Elementary School was nerve-wracking. I worked in a Lansing school last year and had that impression in my head as we walked through the courtyard of this school. The kids in Lansing had been disrespectful to me and other staff members, and also didn’t seem to care about learning in the classroom. After my first day at the school I could already see that these kids were surrounded by a positive support system of faculty and staff members along with their passion and positivity to learn new things. Our first day at the school, our group started a Civil Rights Mural in the middle of the blacktop area. I painted the words “You Must Be the Change You Wish to see in the World” – Gandhi.  A quote I had heard several times, but never really let the words sink in. As we painted, recess was going on and the kids all crowded around our work area asking us about what we were doing and giving us motivation to keep going! Their interest and encouragement continued all week long. The changes we made to this school to make it a better learning environment will have a lasting impact on this school. If these kids read the words of Gandhi and take it to heart, they have the possibility to do so much. As a camp counselor, I never really thought much about my campers being the ‘future generation’, the ones who will continue after us. Working with these kids, I began to realize how important it is to encourage education. All week long, we listened to various speakers and saw videos that informed us of the educational problems going on around the United States. Coming from the suburbs of Chicago, I knew of some of the problems in inner-city schools, but not to the extent of which I learned about. One our last day at the school, one of the staff members began to tear up thanking us for all the work we did.  Between that moment where I really saw that our work was going to make a difference and saying goodbye to all the students who I had interacted with over the few days, I felt thankful and fortunate to have a part in such an experience. That Gandhi quote will be important for this school and these kids as they continue on with their education, but it also important for our group and this program. A bunch of college students who decided to head to LA for a an Alternative Spring Break are walking away with much more than just good times, we are leaving seeing the impact of change.

~Jordyn Malkin