Most teenagers would not be excited to give up their phone for a week so that they could live with a group of teenagers whom they had never met previously so that they could spend time during their summer vacation doing service while at school; however, that is exactly what I and each of the other participants on my Adventure WV Habitat trip did at the end of this June. I really enjoyed this trip because although most people could not imagine spending a week disconnected from technology, I actually found it to be refreshing, and I found that it helped me to stay more engaged with the activities of the trip as well as with the other participants. During our time spent helping out at the Habitat for Humanity worksite, I was able to learn how
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The work that I did throughout the week with Habitat for Humanity helped me to learn about other ways that I could utilize skills that I had already developed while in high school. I had previously never imagined that I would be able to help build a house or do roofing work, but I was able to do both during this trip. This service aspect of the trip also helped to reinforce my love for serving others. I have always found the feeling of knowing that you helped someone and made a difference in his or her life to be well worth the work done. I also learned a lot about myself personally through the journaling that we had to do each day after class and the motto of the week, "challenge by choice". This motto meant that we did not have to participate in any aspect of the trip that we were not comfortable participating in, but we were encouraged to challenge ourselves by stepping out of our comfort zone on our own terms. I found that I enjoyed challenging myself to try jobs at our worksite that I may not have previously considered or felt capable of completing. The main job that I challenged myself to try was roofing. I was originally very wary while climbing up the ladder and when walking on the roof, but it became less daunting as I spent more time on the roof. Additionally, I enjoyed …show more content…
Now that I know a few of my other incoming classmates, I feel much better about being the only student from my high school who will be attending WVU this fall. I also found the information that I learned during our evening classes about the campus and the rest of the student body to be very helpful. Knowing more about resources that can help me grow academically and socially put me more at ease about adjusting to college life in the fall. Learning about SMART goals and writing my goal letter will help me to remember to stay on track during this first semester. Another aspect of this trip that aided in me feeling more comfortable with my decision to attend WVU was being able to meet one of the Engineering teachers. Mr. Hamrick was a great resource for learning more about the freshman engineering program, and I would love to take a class that he is teaching in the future. One addition to this trip that could have made me feel more equipped to start at WVU would be having the opportunity to walk around the campus during free time. Before my Adventure trip I was more nervous than excited about starting college, and now I feel that the opposite is true. That is not to say that I no longer have any fears about starting college, but I do feel better equipped to handle the aspects of college
The work that I did throughout the week with Habitat for Humanity helped me to learn about other ways that I could utilize skills that I had already developed while in high school. I had previously never imagined that I would be able to help build a house or do roofing work, but I was able to do both during this trip. This service aspect of the trip also helped to reinforce my love for serving others. I have always found the feeling of knowing that you helped someone and made a difference in his or her life to be well worth the work done. I also learned a lot about myself personally through the journaling that we had to do each day after class and the motto of the week, "challenge by choice". This motto meant that we did not have to participate in any aspect of the trip that we were not comfortable participating in, but we were encouraged to challenge ourselves by stepping out of our comfort zone on our own terms. I found that I enjoyed challenging myself to try jobs at our worksite that I may not have previously considered or felt capable of completing. The main job that I challenged myself to try was roofing. I was originally very wary while climbing up the ladder and when walking on the roof, but it became less daunting as I spent more time on the roof. Additionally, I enjoyed …show more content…
Now that I know a few of my other incoming classmates, I feel much better about being the only student from my high school who will be attending WVU this fall. I also found the information that I learned during our evening classes about the campus and the rest of the student body to be very helpful. Knowing more about resources that can help me grow academically and socially put me more at ease about adjusting to college life in the fall. Learning about SMART goals and writing my goal letter will help me to remember to stay on track during this first semester. Another aspect of this trip that aided in me feeling more comfortable with my decision to attend WVU was being able to meet one of the Engineering teachers. Mr. Hamrick was a great resource for learning more about the freshman engineering program, and I would love to take a class that he is teaching in the future. One addition to this trip that could have made me feel more equipped to start at WVU would be having the opportunity to walk around the campus during free time. Before my Adventure trip I was more nervous than excited about starting college, and now I feel that the opposite is true. That is not to say that I no longer have any fears about starting college, but I do feel better equipped to handle the aspects of college