In my life, I have always been involved in my community by helping provide services to people in need. I would do simple tasks like, walk a few miles to benefit cancer research or make beaded bracelets at the local nursing home. I never understood how powerful community service could be until I lived on an Indian reservation in South Dakota for a month on a leadership program.
After arriving in South Dakota, I was immediately shocked at how different this environment was compared to back home in Boston. The village I was staying on was called Cheyenne Red Scaffold Community, which was made up of eight houses. Each house looked extremely similar, with broken windows, ripped screens and litter smeared all over the lawn. We stayed at the local YMCA, sleeping on cement floors in sleeping bags.
I soon learned the steadfast culture of the Cheyenne people. The people believed it is impossible for them to improve their living conditions, no matter how much they wanted change. Many of the Cheyenne community ignored us while we were setting up new activities for the kids or cleaning local parks. After working a long hard day, I was approached an older man and he expressed his gratitude towards me because he was so grateful for our interactions with the children. He was hopeful that we would make a difference in their lives so they could understand that they have control over their lives as they get older and they can make changes for a better life.
Even though I initially went to this reservation to help improve the lives of others, I believe I profited the most from the experience. I am now fully aware of the poverty that still remains in the US and it drives me to become even more involved then I ever was before. Being on this reservation made me realize how unimportant the material things are in life and I learned from the Cheyenne people that it is not impossible to make differences and change your life for the better if you try hard enough.
