Final Thoughts

I still haven’t figured out what I want to do with my life, and that’s okay. What I have learned, though, is how to go about pursuing a career that is based around solving social issues and working with unfamiliar communities. Last summer, I saw an opportunity to do limited discrete good, and I did it, but in the end, I was unsatisfied. Thinking about what I want to accomplish on a civic and ethical basis has taught me many things, but mostly that the importance of asking questions and questioning the norm cannot go undermined. I need to be skeptical of the work that is presented to me and speak up when something isn’t sitting right. I need to think about the long-term effects of my actions before reveling in the excitement and feel-good that the short-term brings. I need to acknowledge that it’s possible that I am part of the problem, but know that there are ways for me to address that.

At this point in my life, I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to find post-grad opportunities. I’ve looked at many different programs and jobs throughout the course of the year, most of which have been social justice/community service-oriented. I have yet to find something that feels completely right for me, which is nerve-wracking. I do know that whatever I do end up doing, I will do so with the passionate, honest, and forward-thinking mindset that this project has taught me to use. I can’t tell others how to live their life or run their organizations (yet!), but I can, and will, give insight on what I feel like needs to be done in order for them to do better. Given this, there are a few questions that I encourage those whose mission is to create positive social change to ask themselves:

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These questions are not the end all be all for perfect service work, but I do believe that they are a solid starting point. Everyone is going to have different experiences, interpretations, and opinions that will contribute toward their idea of doing good. But in order to be good, we need to take what we know and do better. 

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This is where it starts.

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