TIMELINE

 In August of 2010, I became the leader of the Peoria Christian High School worship team. Each week I was responsible for preparing music, constructing a power point presentation of lyrics, organizing the other band members, and scheduling practices to ensure a smooth presentation for the chapel service. Additionally, I took it upon myself to always be seeking new music to convert to chords for the band.  Being a leader was not necessarily a role that I was used to, but as I got feedback from my teammates and discovered which techniques were successful in performance, I was able to adapt to my responsibilities in the team. I learned that leading is largely about serving, being flexible, and making executive decisions in a gracious manner. I earned the respect of my peers and gained experience in team coordination and effective group communication.  Today, I feel confident about planning events with others and guiding a task-oriented team, such as a research group. 

 

During the summer of 2011, I volunteered at a local kids camp named Camp Good News. I made my home there as a junior counselor. Each day I was responsible for various duties including janitorial type work, helping out in the kitchen, and most importantly tending to the children. What impacted me the most however, are the new relationships that I made with the other camp staff members. That summer, I grew as a person more than I have in any summers past and since. By meeting new people from a variety of backgrounds, my world grew much larger. I became more accepting of others and was challenged to take initiative in making friendships. Through common experience and an interdependence on one another, my fellow counselors and I formed exceptionally deep and lasting bonds. I am pleased to say that I still maintain close relationships with several of the people I met that summer. I grew in confidence and maturity in my people skills as a result of my choice to step out of my comfort zone and become immersed in a new experience. This was especially beneficial when I came to the University of Cincinnati in that I didn’t feel the need to be shy or reserved around the dozens of new students I met. I was able to introduce myself and develop good friendships with my peers early on, viewing them as people involved in a common adventure.

 

In 2012, my summer vacation consisted of a trip to Germany with my mother. Our goals were to visit family and fully experience the country. Considering that I am a German citizen and was raised to be bilingual in German and English by my mother, I was especially excited to learn more about my heritage, cultural background, and land of origin. My German speaking skills improved greatly as I was immersed in the language and forced to both read and speak it daily. As we traveled around the country, ate the food, attended local festivals and markets, used public transportation, and met with friends and family, I gained a greater appreciation for my German roots and expanded my perception of the world. My relationships with my relatives overseas became deeper and more personal. Today I identify myself closely with my German heritage and exercise that aspect of my identity in a variety of ways: listening to German radio, eating the food whenever possible, and keeping up my language skills through intentional practice. I hope to go back sometime during my college career for a co-op.

 

In July of 2013, I got my first real job as a nursing aide at Apostolic Christian Timber Ridge, a local handicapped home. I was personally responsible for taking care of several residents for an 8 hour shift: tending to their physical, emotional, and cognitive needs. I had to become familiar with each resident as an individual and perform educational programs in addition to regular hygiene-related tasks. Every day on the job something new and bazar may happen, and I had to be prepared for the worst. Through my work as an aide I gained a new appreciation for the physical and mental capabilities which most of us take for granted: being able to move my hands, form sentences, and remember what happened 5 minutes ago. I developed a high tolerance for stress and had multiple opportunities to practice keeping calm under pressure. I matured as a person in that I experienced a side of humanity in depth with which few people are blessed to come into prolonged contact. This summer, I plan on going back to Timber Ridge to work in a more full-time position. 

 

Later that year, my uncle died a sudden death. Though I would consider myself close to him, I was most deeply impacted by the grief which my cousin and father experienced. That side of the family tree being rather convoluted, many complications arose with his death and emotions ran high. Through the pain I was able to learn more about my own family and the importance of relationships and trust. My family is now in more frequent contact with my cousin, and that branch of our relatives has become a more significant part of my life.

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Last spring, I went on a missions trip with my school to South Korea. While there, I was thrown into a completely new culture and language. I was responsible for teaching math to multicultural children at a small city school. By preparing lessons and being put into a teacher role, I learned a lot about communication, discipline, and the structure of a classroom. I gained experience in relating to people who are very different from me. Upon returning from Korea, I realized that I sincerely love to travel and be immersed in unfamiliar customs; I happily told my family and friends that I had found my “inner Asian.” One of my favorite parts was simply trying the new food! I hope to travel a lot more in the future and perhaps engage in a study abroad program in Asia to further familiarize myself with that part of our world.