Service

BUSH SCHOOL AMBASSADORS

As a Bush School Ambassador had the privilege to serve my community in a variety of ways. While the job title focuses on volunteering to assist in the setting up and management of events at the Bush School, it is much more than that. While assisting with crowd management during a Pearl Harbor Commemoration in 2016, I met a WWII vet who registered for the event late. He was unaware of a lunch period where veterans were able to eat with President Bush (41). After talking to the proper coordinators, I was able to ensure that this veteran was able to receive the honor that he was due, and received a lunch that he will never forget. The way his wife beamed as her husband left the meal in President Bush's entourage of WWII veterans was one of the grandest sights I have ever seen.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON SOCIETY

As part of the Alexander Hamilton Society I served the student body in a way that the Ambassadors serve the larger community. My role in the group was to coordinate conference calls between Council on Foreign Relations experts and interested students. While my position focuses on relatively small events, the Society as a whole has been able to bring a greater understanding of issues and perspectives to campus. We have been responsible for facilitating discussions and strive to continue to bring about opportunities for students to gain knowledge and test their own perceptions and ideas.

PARADISE BOUNDS SERVICE PROJECT

In July of 2015, members of my community in Iowa (teachers, farmers, medical practitioners) volunteered to work with a missionary in Guatemala for almost 2 weeks building houses and distributing medical supplies in remote villages. This service experience influenced my life by showing me how a community can band together for the greater good of all involved. It also showed me that the work we do for each other matters, no matter how small or large it appears to be. The houses we built and clinics we worked in for the better part of 10 days brought comfort and relief to three desperate villages. Interacting with the people brought a new understanding to the work that we were doing. Families had been fractured due to decades of civil war that practically eliminated an entire generation. Grandparents became parents again, and struggled to provide for the youngest members of their communities. The houses we built provided shelter for the children, many being younger than 14, that their "parents" could not provide in their old age, many of them being well over 50. As we left each work site we distributed new toys, books, and tools to the families. As our vans drove away we could see adult and child alike not waste a second in putting their new items to work. Service is truly a Noble Calling.

There is a popular saying at the Bush School; a quote of our namesake, President George H.W. Bush, "Public Service is a Noble Calling." This quote represents how I personally feel about service: doing good through kindness for another without seeking reward is the greatest gift you can give and receive. It has been my objective to find a career based on this concept. Below are few examples of how I have tried to make a difference to individuals and in communities.