Capstone Reflection

The Capstone Project was a great experience for me to help out my community while learning new skills along the way. Working with other at every site helped me become more social, open, and outgoing, which will help prepare me for a future career. Working with others also taught me how to be a leader in the groups that I was in, and how to share my ideas with the rest of the group while still incorporating theirs. There were times during the project when I would have to think quickly, or I would have to think outside of the box to make something work. This happened when we were making fences and my partner kept on splitting the wood. We realized that if we cut the pieces of wood to be thicker, the pieces were less likely to split while we were hammering.

The main challenge that I faced was scheduling. This was partly because I have a lot of work from my two AP classes, and also because volunteering with Habitat for Humanity takes up a full work day. Saturdays were the only days that I was available to volunteer (other than some days off of school), but volunteer positions on Saturdays were often filled quickly. I also felt really busy going to school five days a week and them volunteering on the weekend (or doing some other school-related project/task). Another challenge I faced was that I was really shy when I first started volunteering, and I wasn't really good with talking to new people. However, I became really social by the end of it because everyone was really kind and open towards me, and I realized that I shouldn't feel afraid to talk to them. The work itself was really challenging, and it was especially hard to work out in the sun at Habitat Terrace, but it was very rewarding at the end.

Despite all of these challenges, I was motivated to do my best each time I volunteered because I knew that I was contributing to a good cause for people that deserved good homes. Not to mention, I felt really great after overcoming these obstacles. I remember feeling really accomplished at the end of each volunteering day, and feeling an overall sense of happiness when I volunteered there. I noticed that I began looking forward to volunteering each time, and it felt really great when the coordinators remembered me, or when I recognized familiar faces from regular volunteers.

Senior Project Hours Update: Habitat Terrace

Saturday, May 4, 8:30am - 4:15pm at Habitat Terrace, San Francisco
Number of Hours: 8.75
Total hours completed: 33.25

This was the second day that this site was open to volunteers. It looked like an empty lot at first, but after looking around, I noticed that they had started digging trenches and there construction flag markers to show where different things were going to be built. I was curious about what we were going to do for the day, because it seemed like there was going to be a lot. The entire day was spend building fences for the neighbors' yards. This was the first time that I did any construction like this and I definitely underestimated how difficult it was going to be (not to mention, it was hot outside). Nevertheless, this was one of the most enjoyable days that I had while volunteering with Habitat GSF. The AmeriCorps workers gave me advice on different ways to improve my technique when building the fence, and it really helped. I was happy at the end of the day to look back and see that the hard work that everyone put in paid off.