TFA Letter of Intent

My passion in life can be summed up with a single quote: "I want to help people for a living. And I'm not talking about commercial customer service. I'm talking about the nitty gritty, helping people who have nothing, who know nothing, who, in the eyes of the world, are nothing" (Anonymous). Through the Teach for America program, I will not only be able to help provide children with a high-quality education but also open their eyes to all the possibilities that are within their reach. By joining the 2012 corp, I will be able to directly and positively impact the life of a child who might otherwise be looked over by society. I have a passion for helping those who are not viewed as significant in the eyes of others. Heartbreakingly, children from areas of lower socio-economic status often fall into this category. I want to show them that not only can they can beat the odds, but that they can set the standards by which all others strive.

While in high school, my Advanced Placement Psychology teacher encouraged me to seek opportunities that at the time seemed beyond my reach. She assured me that I was indeed intelligent enough to get into the University of Florida and so, after much prodding, I applied. The decision to apply and eventually attend the university changed my life in every way. I began to see what others saw in me and believe that I really could make a difference in the world. I owe much of my change in self-perception to the efforts of one teacher who pushed me like no other teacher had before. By forcing me to look inwards at who I truly was, I gained the ability to look outwards at who I could be become. Needless to say, I would love to have the opportunity to pay forward this gift to other students who are likely feeling exactly the way I once did.

Helping those who are in low-income communities is the focus of my heart and what will surely be my life's work. By participating in Teach for America, I will be able to assist in giving children opportunities that they might not otherwise have due to a lack of good education. The success that I achieve can be determined by the value that my students begin to see in themselves and each other. I humbly acknowledge that I may not be able to drastically impact an entire school in my first year, but if I can offer hope and possibility to even just one child, I will consider that year a triumphant success.

Waiting

If we are being honest right now, at this current moment, I cannot wait to graduate. I cannot wait to finally know what I am doing with my life, even if it is just the immediate future. My life seems to be in a waiting game.

Waiting on Teach for America.
Waiting on decisions with downtown ministries.
Waiting on finances
Waiting on friends.
Waiting on dating.

Waiting on God.

And, if we are being more honest, I hate waiting. It's not fun. Why can't I know what my future holds or why I'm not getting certain things that I want or even "deserve?" I am trying to seek after God and yet He seems to be holding out on me (more on that later).

If we are being the most honest, the last line (Waiting on God) is a lie. Okay, maybe not. I can wait on God for like minutes ... like a child. Then, I start getting impatient and want to take matters into my own hands. Not only want to but then do and it leaves me feeling only a little bit better. I feel, if only for a brief amount of time, that I have control. After a little while - or not so little - I finally break and realize that I cannot do this life on my own.

Surrender.




And not picking it back up in five minutes.




Complete and utter surrender.

"Faithful"

There's distance in the air and I cannot make it leave
I wave my arms 'round about me and blow with all my might
I cannot sense you close, though I know you're always here
But the comfort of you near is what I long for

[CHORUS]
When I can't feel you, I have learned to reach out just the same
When I can't hear you, I know you still hear everyword I pray
And i want you more than I want to live another day
And as I wait for you maybe I'm made more faithful

All the folly of the past, though I know it is undone
i still feel the guilty one, still trying to make it right
So i whisper soft your name, let it roll around my tounge,
knowing you're the only one who knows me
You know me

[CHORUS]

[BRIDGE]
Show me how I should live this
Show me where I should walk
I count this world as loss to me
You are all I want
You are all I want

[CHORUS]