Rahel D.

“ I have always had a strong admiration and loyalty to children. All throughout high school I was a part of PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership Skills). In PALS each student was assigned a troubled elementary student from our local elementary schools and we were their mentor for that year. The grade level I was typically assigned were grades 2-5. Every day I met with my mentees and each day I formed my daily...

I have always had a strong admiration and loyalty to children. All throughout high school I was a part of PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership Skills). In PALS each student was assigned a troubled elementary student from our local elementary schools and we were their mentor for that year. The grade level I was typically assigned were grades 2-5. Every day I met with my mentees and each day I formed my daily meeting with them according to their needs. If they needed extra help on an assignment that the teacher noticed them struggling in I would spend my time with them doing exercises and alternative ways of learning through games and/or drawing out picture demonstrations. Outside of school work we would spend our time playing board games, coloring, and talking. My main daily objectives were to encourage them and make them feel cared for.
After I graduated high school and went to college, I did not want to stop working with children so I applied for a job at America Reads and Counts as a teacher 's assistant. I was assigned to be an assistant to a first grade teacher. When a student was having trouble understanding or keeping up with the rest of the class, I would work with the students and go over the material. I would spend my hours off coming up with alternative ways to reiterate the teacher 's lesson to help the student master the lesson.
Aside from school programs or jobs, in the summer of 2008, 2009, and 2010 I spent my summers baby-sitting for a family friend. The kids were 10 and 12. I took it upon myself to keep them academically engaged during the summer by taking them to the library once a week to chose a book of their liking. At the end of the week after finishing the book I asked that they handwrite a one page paper about the book they read. The questions they had to answer in their paper were 1. What was the book about? 2. What was your favorite part? 3. What did you learn in this book that you can apply to your life? Aside from reading and writing papers I took them swimming, bike riding, played board games, video games, and baked. I cooked meals on days that the parents weren't able to.
As an International Studies major with a concentration on Development, I have a deep passion for providing humanitarian assistance and demolishing human rights violations in third-world countries. In the future hope to work for UNICEF (United Nations Children 's Fund) to ensure the protection and safety of children all around the world.

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