I want to help people, really. It’s as simple as that.
"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” -Shakespeare
During high school, I put lots of effort into learning Spanish. Obviously, languages are not the forte of the American educational system but the fact that my maternal tongue is in fact French, helped me very much in learning Spanish. It clicked, more than for others. Pronunciation, written, any aspect really. I took three years of Spanish in high school, then stopped and began pursuing it on my own, studying books, doing Spanish - English language exchanges with native speakers and even practicing with the line cooks in the restaurant I would work in every summer. Slowly, I became more and more proficient. I developed a nice accent, half the Latinos I talk to tell me it’s perfect most all nonnative speakers of Spanish think I’m from Mexico City. I can proudly say after many years of effort, listening, reading and conversing, I am near fluent. I know this skill will help me volunteer abroad, and I do hope it will contribute to the broadening of my clientele once I settle for a desk job.
I never thought that signing up for soccer my freshman year would have such an impact on my life. I had never really played on a team, but my passion was lit. Arguably the European blood in my veins. During my years of high school soccer, I would learn to be a team player, and a leader. I felt the joy of a hard earned victory, and the bitterness of a loss. I learned to adapt to others style of play, and was able to incorporate my own into the team. I learned that truly, small parts make a whole. I love soccer, and to this day still do. Little did I know my appreciation for soccer would contribute to me reaching one of my multiple life goals.
I’m ecstatic to say there are several volunteer programs that combine my proficiency in Spanish, with my passion for soccer. I can travel abroad to South America, Peru among many other countries to simply play soccer with the local children, among many other volunteer activities. One of my friends has already done so and from what he tells me, your presence is highly appreciated, you bring smiles to the locals’ faces and they love the fact that you’re there with them. I do hope I have several occasions in my lifetime to make such trips.
However, I cannot simply make a career out of volunteering abroad. That’s why I’m choosing to pursue psychology. I don’t know exactly in which direction I’ll be going with my degree after graduation, and I know there are many options nowadays but I can tell you this. Whether I become a child psychologist, a psychiatrist or ideally, a clinical psychologist, I hope to use my degree to better the world around me.