It all started on an average day in sophomore year. So there I was, half-daydreaming through my third period English class. Suddenly out of the abyss of classroom chatter I heard Ms. Jones describing something along the lines of: “Fun…paid job…YMCA…Teen Center…great opportunity.” This was it - this would be the change of pace I had been looking for for over two years.
I realize now that joining the Teen Center Task Force was a very special
and significant decision for me. I realized this during one of our first meetings.
I still remember the sweat seeping out of my pores as I struggled to stay attentive in that stuffy inferno of a meeting room. Again, I sat there half-daydreaming, still unsure if I had made the right decision about joining the team. Our conversation was just beginning to touch on all the things we would soon learn about completing a project of this scale. This was the first sign of things to come like: lots and lots of fundraising, planning, hiring architects and consultants, writing formal reports and requests, budgeting, public networking, and the oh so holy paycheck. Soon one of our most intelligent and entertaining adult volunteers, Tom Ratcliff, began to talk about what a Teen Center will do for Berkeley and all the great changes that will be brought about. This got me thinking – I am going to leave a legacy in my home town. Just that word – ‘legacy’ – echoed in my head. I was inspired. With a flash of the future before my eyes and a rush of determination I started on my path to change the world.
As I look back on joining the Teen Center Task Force it’s been a very interesting, fun, scary, and confusing experience. I know that pretty much sums up life. Really though, I basically applied for this position with an enthusiasm that can only be described as naïve. I didn’t know what I was actually getting into. Unknowingly I was about to go on one of the most inspirational rides of my life.
And boy, looking back now I know that this change of pace at the YMCA has forever changed my life.
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