Scholarship Essay Entry – Kari R.

Many people in the world believe that any change to the status quo is impossible. Those people also believe that the power to change is held by the movers and shakers of the world who have money and recognizable influence. However, there are many arguments for the power of small acts. As a person lacking celebrity status, political power and great wads of cash to throw at problems, I have to believe that change can be made in small steps -- that the everyday actions of an average person can make a difference. Thus, I believe, with conviction, that small acts -- small gestures -- can and will change the world. I spent the past summer working at a summer camp. It was there I realized that the world is changed by small acts. In the ten weeks I worked at camp twenty other young adults and I gave everything we had in us to create a strong community and a safe haven for the people that entered our gates. Many of the sacrifices we made were small acts; such as doing dishes so others could prepare for activities or giving a hug of encouragement when sleep deprivation or emotional stress was getting to us. They were small things we did because, for those ten weeks, the people around us were all we had. In the real world, the people around us are still all we have. Whether it is the new clerk at the coffee shop who is overwhelmed by the morning rush, the person ringing your groceries through that is tired after a long shift, or a co-worker you see every day, these are the people that surround us -- real people who have lives, fears, hopes and dreams just like we do. By simply being present in conversation and in community with these people around us, relationships can be formed, and relationships are the foundation of every hope I have for humanity. So take a moment to smile and really thank the person behind the counter, especially if they are grumpy or randomly cover coffee for the guy behind us in the drive through line. Stop thinking about the forty things we have to do in the next six hours and look around us; see where we are and who is there with us. My vision is not for me to change the world, but to change mindsets of those I encounter and start a ripple of positive change that will encompass the world.
 
Currently, I am acting on my passion for Interior Design in a degree program at Mount Royal University, and while it may not be a profession I can use to change the world at large, I will change the lives of my clients. My career may only reach a limited number of people, but daily I will interact with many others, and that is where the ripple will start and the world will change. Because smiling is contagious, and I have the bug.