Why Non-Profit: Part I

Normally I won't post twice in one night, but I feel that it's important to give a bit of background information as to who I am and how I came to decide on my career.

I grew up in a loving home where my parents were able to provide for all my wants and needs. I have been fortunate enough in my young life to have never experienced hunger, homelessness, or the violence of gangs. Although I was a fairly sheltered child by most standards, I always possessed a keen awareness that there were many people not as fortunate as me, who needed to be helped. Much of this was due to my mother's stories. Although she spent much of her life in the same town where I grew up, her circumstances were very different. She lived in poverty because her father, who worked in construction, would take much of this money and spend it on alcohol. When he did return home, he would abuse his wife, and bring home "girlfriends" for whom she would have to cook. Needless to say, these stories made quite the impression on my young mind. Throughout my school years, I always desired to give back to others in some way; thus, I joined Girl Scouts and National Honor Society, in hopes of making a difference. As time passed, our troop became less active and NHS didn't offer nearly as many service opportunities as I would have liked, but I still did what I could.

After high school, I went straight to college. At this time, I was looking to join a service organization that was more active than my high school chapter of NHS, which had only required 10 hours of community service a year. By some stroke of fortune, I stumbled upon Circle K International. I had never heard of it before, and had only vaguely heard of Key Club, the high school level of the Kiwanis family. When I heard that it was an organization that worked with a variety of non-profit groups, I was hooked. I signed up at our student organization fair, and participated in the group all year. Although I attended the majority of meetings, I only participated in a handful of service projects. I looked to get more involved, and managed to be elected as the club secretary for my sophomore year. Needless to say, I was quite excited! I became more and more involved with the group: I increased the number of service events I attended, attended events where I met people from around the state of Michigan, and met many wonderful people who were dedicated to service. I also learned valuable skills related to administrative tasks, staying organized, and how to be an effective leader. I continued my involvement in Circle K by serving as president of my club during my junior year of college, and currently serve as secretary-treasurer for Michigan's lower peninsula. I also became involved with other service opportunities, including Transitions, our fall freshman orientation, and Student Ambassadors, where I gave tours of our campus to prospective college students. I truly enjoyed all of these activities (along with everything else I've done in college), and learned a lot along the way...

Stay tuned for part two, where I discuss my academic life and how I decided I wanted to have a career in the non-profit sector!