September 10th, 2016 was a monumental day.  To Stockton University, it was the annual Day of Service, but for me, it was the first official day of being a Stockton student.  Stockton is a school big on giving back not only to local communities, but national communities as well, and that was one of the reasons why I picked Stockton to be my four-year home.  Helping others in need is something very important to me, and to be a part of a family that prides itself in caring for others is something wonderful and something to be proud of.  

       At the Day of Service, I participated in packaging food to send overseas.  We had to measure rice, dried vegetables, and soy to be put in bags and then compressed to be shipped.  Together, Stockton students packed up thousands of meals in the eight hours the Day of Service ran for, which was incredible!  Together, in a day, Stockton students helped give thousands of hungry families food that they did not have access to before.  Together, Stockton students helped decrease the amount of people living in hunger in the world.

       Another thing I participated in was the making of coloring books for children in cancer hospitals.  We had to first collect pages of colorless cartoons and construction paper.  Then we had to bind the pages all together to form a book.  Afterwards, we had to design the covers.  I made about ten, a majority of them in Spanish, for children that cannot speak English.  I thought it might make a Spanish-speaking child happy to see a coloring book with their language on the covers.  I know it would be comforting to me to see the language I spoke best if I did not speak English well.  

       This Day of Service was something special, and I think it’s great that it exists.  It made me feel important, like I had an impact on the world and well-being of others, even if that impact was not very big.  I feel proud to be a part of an institution that promotes service and volunteerism for the betterment of the world around us.  I hope that others saw this day as something momentous, as I did.  In a world where some people are struggling, I think it is important to lend a helping hand whenever possible.  I am a big believer that if an act of kindness is executed, it will create a butterfly effect that could reach very far.  

       Hopefully, this Day of Service had an effect on the lives of others for the better, and people now recognize the importance of being an active citizen in the community and the world.  Thank you, Stockton, for being so selfless and allowing me to be a part of the family.  I’m very excited for what the next four years have in store for me.