My Trip to New Orleans and What I Learned

What did you expect from this experience?

I expected to help rebuild the school and learn about the struggles that children in New Orleans face in getting a good education. I thought New Orleans would be a very special city to enjoy and see.

What did you learn about yourself - based on what you did at the school?

I learned that I am a very helpful guy. I got to do all kinds of jobs at the school. I did some painting of the classroom walls. I also got special jobs from Kate, Jessica, and Julie who work at the school. These jobs included going to the Cultural Center and cleaning out Julie’s old office, putting boxes of school materials in the classroom and looking for some of Julie’s materials that were scattered around the school. When I was with our group I mostly did leveling of books in the classrooms.

The neighborhood of the school that I worked at was in a poor area. I feel lucky to live in a nice neighborhood and to have gone to nice schools that were very clean and had lots of school materials.

How have you changed from your experience in this service learning experience?

I was so proud to contribute to helping rebuild a school. I enjoyed being in one of the coolest cities I have ever been to. I enjoyed the culture, food, people and the French Quarter. I liked the group mates I was with and the time we spent together. Our group accomplished a lot and I am very proud contributing to the group.