NOLA: The Second Time Around

Hi everyone! Brief history:
My freshman year, I was not able to go to New Orleans with my class (much to my upset) due to some medical needs. Therefore, I was even more excited to have the opportunity to go as a sophomore, since it was my first time traveling to NOLA, and I had an opportunity to see a new side of service. Last year I had a blast serving both in NJ and LA, working closely with victims of very similar natural disasters, and having a deeper understanding of what it means to serve.

That being said, there are a few things I am looking forward to most this year:

1. Bonding with the newest class of Bonner Scholars, as well as my fellow chaperones. There are a few of you I know pretty well, but for the most part this will be an opportunity to develop new bonds, learn new things, and learn from each other. The experiences we have in New Orleans will be amazing, and getting to share them with you all will be wonderful! I love reflection time, so get ready to have some deep discussions...

2. Developing a relationship with homeowners.  Last year I found myself being a little shy with our lovely homeowner, and I believe I missed out on making a relationship that could have been really wonderful.  I think my service might be made even more meaningful by having conversations with the people we are serving. I will challenge myself to be more sociable with the homeowners (if we are lucky enough to get to meet ours again).

3. Getting knee-deep in SERVICE! In retrospect, I may have been a little overwhelmed by everything last year. Seeing so much destruction in both Jersey and New Orleans, traveling farther from home than I ever had before, meeting a ton of new people, and exploring a whole new culture was a LOT to experience all at once! Maybe some of the first-year students will understand where I'm coming from once we begin our trip. Anyway, I don't know that all of my attention was in the most important reason we go to New Orleans every year. I want to challenge myself to work harder, push through exhaustion or muscle aches, and accomplish even more than I did last year. Hopefully this will inspire others to push on in hard work as well.

Wow that was longer than I originally intended. This is how I spent my Saturday night, y'all. Super excited! See you soon!