Pact Reflection #2

Jack Hamilton

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Morning at 8am

Veterans Association

Raul Gilbert

Tel 650.566.0240, Email RGilbert@vetsresource.org

From all the veterans I have helped, I believe I have had an enormous impact.  There are a wide range of people, some of which refused my help, but those who allowed me to help found out that they could now store all their resumes and job applications in the cloud, where they could access them from anywhere and be much more efficient with searching for jobs or permanent housing.  They were very grateful, as I also helped some of them with other technological issues.  One veteran had a faulty Wi-Fi router at home, so he had to come down to the VA to apply for jobs, but after asking him some questions, we got to the root of the problem and he had tech support come to his house and quickly fix the issue.  He was then able to do his job searching from home!

Some of the other volunteer work I did was for the benefit of the VA itself.  They needed to provide the best facilities possible for veterans to make it easy for them to get re-established.  I spent most of my downtime between helping people cleaning the computers and getting rid of the various documents and downloaded files that had accumulated over the years.  I helped some veterans transfer the files they had stored on the computers to their own new Dropbox accounts.

From this experience, I realized how lucky I am that I don’t have to go through the same grueling job and housing application process that these people have to go through.  They were sending out dozens of applications and hearing back from only a few.  In their position, I don’t know that I’d be able to stay positive, but they were handing it well and kept sending out applications and refining the process at my advice.  It was humbling to see them work so hard for things I take for granted daily.

Pact Reflection #1

Jack Hamilton

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Morning at 8am

Veterans Association

Raul Gilbert

Tel 650.566.0240, Email RGilbert@vetsresource.org

Before I visited the Palo Alto VA, I planned to help out veterans with their issues relating to technology.  I understood that many veterans used the facilities of the VA to help re-integrate into society by finding jobs and making connections with housing agencies.  Many of the Veterans were having trouble with finding jobs because of the technology barrier.  They needed help with setting up email accounts, saving their resumes so that they could view them later, and communicating with recruiters online.  For the most part, I helped with all of these, although the veterans were hesitant to put in the time to set these things up, leading to them saving personal documents on the public computers, which was not allowed by the VA.

During my first three visits, I learned that it was sometimes really difficult to try to get people to agree with you.  Some of the veterans were very hesitant to let me help set up online accounts for them, even while it may have helped them in the long run.  I had to put myself in their shoes, and learn from it.  For the most part, they would have seen me as a young kid trying to tell them the right way to do things, which was different from the way they wanted to do things.  I had to back off and try to be less commanding and more sympathetic.  The veterans wanted jobs, but they didn’t want to answer to a young kid.

PACT Reflection #2

Jasmyn Alviter

July 17th, 2015

Boys and Girls’ Club of the Peninsula

Diana Ramirez

dramirez@bgcp.org

Towards the end of the program, it was clear that the reason the program was so long and occurred everyday was because the strong relationships you’re able to build with the students are the ones that are most effective. By the 4th week, students were able to come out of their shells, were able to express themselves, and didn’t feel insecure about asking any questions or failing.

Through doing my PACT project, I discovered that I’m really passionate about doing community work. Before, I had just thought I wanted to work with kids when I was older, maybe in education, and that’s why I had jumped at the opportunity to do the internship. But ever since the experience, I’ve been seriously considering studying something in college to do with sociology so that I can in some way work with and help people.

I think it really is important that there were a lot of people volunteering at the internship I did because then the students get more attention more often that they wouldn’t normally have when there’s only one teacher and more than twenty students. The students that maybe have more trouble than others understanding some concepts can be walked through it instead of falling behind and having it negatively impact them for the rest of the year. I think the program was also extremely beneficial because having the program run from as early as 7am to as late as 5pm helped a lot of parents out who usually have work and can’t stay with their kids and make sure that they don’t get into any trouble.

PACT Reflection #1

Jasmyn Alviter

June 10th, 2015

Boys and Girls’ Club of the Peninsula

Diana Ramirez

dramirez@bgcp.org

The Boys and Girls’ Club began a program the year I volunteered and gave high schoolers the opportunity to work with elementary school kids for six weeks. The Boys and Girls’ Club does this program at several school sites and mine was at Belle Haven Elementary School. Half the day was spent doing academics, such as, math, science, and reading and the second half of the day the kids got to participate electives, such as, art, outdoor activities, and cooking. The interns worked together with teachers in the morning and BGCP staff in the afternoon to help them facilitate their lessons and activities. Through this experience I gained a lot of confidence in my leadership skills. Especially since me and another intern were co-intern leaders in charge of facilitating weekly meetings for the interns and maintaining communication between the interns and the BGCP staff.

I think that often when volunteering anywhere it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that you’re doing the people, or cause, a favor by helping. And while volunteering is a genuinely good thing and something more people should be doing, going into the experience like that takes away humanity from the person or cause and I think it’s harder to connect to them or what you’re doing. I, unfortunately, found myself doing this a lot at the beginning. I’d find myself feeling bad that the kids didn’t have all the nice school supplies, amazing teachers, or small classes that Menlo did. But then, without even realizing it, in moments when I’d be having a conversation with a student, suddenly none of that was relevant anymore, they were just kids. And a lot of the kids, despite not having all the opportunities that you think would help make a great student, were as passionate as ever about learning, despite their odds.

Peninsula Bridge 
Rolando Victoria 
7/20/16

In the final week of the Peninsula Bridge program I can now see very clearly how the work that we as a group of interested staff have helped to prevent summer learning loss, all while providing a fun and safe environment for underprivileged children to learn. Over the course of the past month I was able to teach children who are in a similar position as I was as a child, unable to receive a quality education compared to the better school districts that are in neighboring areas. I was also able to see their progression of learning, and how I was actually making a difference. After comparing the students' initial test scores and the final test scores, it was very clear that most of the students had improved greatly in all of their classes and it was impressive that they were able to learn things that are supposed to be taught at the next grade level. Being able to see the actual improvement and make it tangible through comparison was one of the best feelings I have had during the program because it allowed me to feel proud that my work actually helped. As my final week of Peninsula Bridge is wrappin

Peninsula Bridge 
Rolando Victoria 
6/22/16

Before starting my five weeks at Peninsula Bridge, I believed that I was going to be helping children who were likely to be unhappily spending five weeks of their summer stuck in a classroom. However, I was proven wrong on the very first day, when I asked a child what they thought of the program, and I was promptly given the response of "I love being with my non-school friends, and I get to learn stuff too." This experience helped me to understand not only that I could help to educate these children, but to help build connections that they will maintain for a long time. Through my work at Peninsula bridge I was able to reflect on how the connections and skills that I obtained in Peninsula Bridge had helped me throughout the rest of my life so far. I was not surprised by my emotional reactions because I volunteered at Bridge the year before, and I had already gone through the whole reminiscing phase, however I always get sad when I think about saying goodbye to the children in my family group and who I have grown attached to. I do believe that I made a positive impact through my service because many of the children have improved in their scores, and everyone in my family group, most of whom were never friends or had never talked to each other that much go out of their way to include each other in activities and conversations.

Second Reflection

June 7, 10:30 am - 4:00 pm

Doggie Protective Services

Rachel

racheldpsrescue@gmail.com

This was my first time here during the summer, and it felt very different not to be constantly stressed about school during volunteer work. It felt like I could focus completely on the dogs. Again, I sat with the dogs in the large pen, and made sure they were calm and friendly, so that anyone passing by would fall in love with them. I really like working in the pens, because people come up to you all the time, and ask you questions about the process, about the dogs, and about the work that I’m doing. It’s really nice to talk to people, even when I don’t know them, and it feels really rewarding when they end up adopting a dog. It feels like I am part of the process that helped convince them to rescue a dog, rather than buy from a breeder. 

It’s a long day, from 10:30 to 4:00, but it feels worth it, and it feels productive. At the end, I feel like I have accomplished something, and the difference that I’ve made is tangible. It’s very rewarding because I can see right away that I’ve changed something in the world around me for the better.

I hadn’t been at DPS for a while, because I had been so busy with exams and then finals week, but it was so nice to be back. No one made me feel unwelcome or like I should have been there more. Again, Rachel was super helpful, and the other volunteers were kind as well. It’s really nice to get to know them during the day. 

First Reflection

Carla Roever

March 29, 10:30 am - 4:00 pm

Doggie Protective Services

Rachel

racheldpsrescue@gmail.com

Since I had never been to an animal shelter before, or met a rescue animal, I had no idea what to expect. I did not know whether I would have to deal with aggressive animals, clean up messes, or if the people working there would be nice. However, since working with DPS, I learned that the animals are so well integrated with humans by their foster parents that they are some of the sweetest, most loving dogs I have ever met. I do have to clean up their messes, but  I learned that is something I don’t mind, since I am happy to help them find their homes. The people at DPS are also so helpful and kind that it is so much fun working with them every Sunday. I came there with no experience whatsoever, and they explained to me exactly what I needed to do, and are always open to explain things to me if I need help. 

Working with DPS has been an eyeopening experience so far. It saddens me to see that people would abandon and/or mistreat these loving animals, but I am happy to know that they are in a safe place now. I think that I actually make a difference in the lives of these dogs. I sit with them, and keep them calm and I am the person who actually introduces them to a lot of potential adopters. I think that this is something that is really important, because I am a part of the initial impression the dog makes. If I do a good job, then the dog will most likely be adopted, but if I don’t make sure that the meeting goes well, then it’s on me. 

Second PACT Post

Zoey Lieberman
Monday, March 21st at 7:00 PM
Peninsuala Bridge
Randi Shafton
rshafton@menloschool.org

The sixth meeting with Edwin and his mom was the pinnacle of our time together because it was immediately following Edwin's acceptance into St. Matthew's Episcopal School, an independent middle school that he applied to. The prior five meetings had predominantly been centered around work: registering for open houses and shadow visits, filling out financial aid forms, and writing responses for the applications of the various schools that Edwin was applying to. This visit, however, was a celebration, a meeting overflowing with happiness and joy. Edwin's acceptance into St. Matt's is transformative. If he were not accepted into St. Matt's, he would have attended the public middle school in San Mateo, Borel, which is a school that lacks the sufficient resources and teachers that students usually need to thrive. St. Matt's, on the other hand, is an exceptional academic community, filled with teachers who truly care about their students' learning experiences. Attending St. Matt's will put Edwin on a track of not only academic success, but also academic confidence, giving Edwin the chance to grow in all subjects and skills in a supportive space.
The fact that I was able to be a part of this monumental experience is something that I'm incredibly proud and grateful for. Edwin's life will be completely changed because of St. Matt's, and the fact that I had the chance to witness this change is incredible. While registering for open house and shadow visits, filling out financial aid forms, and helping Edwin write responses to application questions was the central focus of my role as a Peninsula Bridge mentor, over time, my family and I took on a new role in Edwin and his mom's life: the role of a friend. Our relationship with Edwin and Maria will not fade as he embarks on a new journey at St. Matt's. I look forward to keeping in touch with the Perez family, and continuing to watch Edwin grow as a student and human being in the years to come.

Second Reflection

Brianna Tunggal

Tuesdays at 3:15

Taft Math Center

Ms. Brugos / Mr. McCullough

jessie.thomasbrugos@menloschool.org / casey.mccullough@menloschool.org

I’ve been a tutor at the Taft Math Center since last year and I’ve found it an incredibly rewarding experience thus far. 

Because I’ve been working with the kids over a long time period, I’ve seen their class subjects grow in difficulty.  For example, when I first started tutoring they were working on their multiplication tables, and now they’re learning about prime numbers.  The students that I’ve worked with who breezed through the homework problems back in November are now struggling a little more, and it takes more time to complete each problem.  Because the subjects are harder, they get stuck more often and I help them understand how to solve the problems.  Their student-teacher ratio is so high that it’d be extremely difficult for their teacher to address each and every single one of their kid’s needs, so many of the kids are still confused by the time it’s time to do homework.  It’s extremely gratifying when the kids take a concept that I taught them because they didn’t understand before and apply it to the next problem. 

Also, the kids seem to really appreciate the tutoring.  I was talking to Jennifer, the Taft student I usually work with, last week, and she was telling me that she was talking to her friends about how much homework she had.  Then she said, “but that’s okay because we have Menlo math today!”  It was a really cute moment and it made me feel like I was really making a difference.    

I think it’s also nice that we have as many Menlo tutors as we do, because the Taft teacher gets a break from handling all these kids at once.  They’re all so energetic (which makes it really fun when we play games) that it must be exhausting for the teacher to have to keep them under control by herself. 

I’ve also discovered that I enjoy teaching.  I’ve always liked explaining things to people (particularly math, so Taft is perfect), but I haven’t had that chance in a while and tutoring the Taft kids has helped me rediscover that.  I’m incredibly grateful for this eye-opening experience. 

Even though I’ve completed my 6 visits already, I’ve still been tutoring the kids and I plan to continue it next year as well.  Hopefully the 4^th graders that I’m tutoring now will continue to come to Menlo next year as 5^th graders so I can keep working with my group!