Kelsey Joramo

Hello! My name is Kelsey Joramo, and I am a student at One Stone Lab51. During my time here at Lab51, I’ve gotten the opportunity to create several visual representations of what I find most important to me. One of these representations is the creation of a Vision Statement. It is what drives me as a person, and what defines my vision for the future. It’s short and simple, “Love God. Love People.” This fall, I was a part of a wonderful opportunity to serve alongside several other students at the Boys And Girls Club, and was able to live out this statement. Honestly, I was a little nervous at first. I wanted to be able to help my little buddy as much as possible, and was concerned that I wouldn’t be adequately prepared to meet their needs. As it turned out, my fears were unfounded in reality. I was paired with an energetic and spirited little girl, who was excited and ready to learn. She showed me the school work she had left on her chromebook, and we worked through them together. We finished up the assignments with time to spare, and spent the rest of our time together coloring pictures and getting to know each other. She told me about how her favorite animal was a cheetah, that she loved the color purple, what she’s been struggling with during the pandemic, and engaged in a lively discussion about how the best flavor of ice cream was strawberry. During wiggle time, a small break from sitting down to help kiddos get all their energy out, we did cartwheels all over the lunchroom. Before I knew it, our time together was up and it was time to clean. Before she left, she thanked me for talking with her, and handed me a picture that she had drawn for me. She told me that she hoped she would have me as her buddy the next week, and then skipped off to join the line of children as they left. This experience impacted me deeply as I realized that I didn't need anything fancy to connect with my kiddo. I just had to be willing to listen, and support them during the small time I was privileged to share with them. That is the highest form of respect I can show to these kids, and a real, authentic way to truly do good. I was able to apply this concept throughout the rest of my time there and connect with many more amazing kiddos. After engaging with this community all semester, I have since come to the conclusion that it's not about the programs itself that make it powerful, it's the people. And this experience got me thinking, where else can I put this concept into practice? In what ways could I shift my focus to the people behind the program, and truly do good?