The importance of the team

As college students, sometimes it’s hard to stay completely focused on Jumpstart. We have exams to study for, and meetings to go to. Some of us have internships, or commitments to clubs and sports. We all have busy schedules that we try to balance with our friendships, relationships, and of course sleep. Jumpstart can get a little lost in the crunch of time; maybe we spend a little less time prepping our books than we should because we’re cramming for an exam, or spending time with friends we haven’t seen in a while. Sometimes waking up at 7:30 a.m. to get ready for session feels like the last possible thing on earth any of us want to do.

When we step back and take it all into perspective, however, we all find the motivation to keep waking up at 7:30 a.m., prepping our books, going to CAT, and gathering supplies. We remember that, in the end, no matter how much easier it would be to skip a session now and again, we aren’t doing this for ourselves. We are doing it for the students that we love. There are moments when sticking to it becomes really hard, and it almost feels like it isn’t worth it, but it always is in the end, even if you lose a little sleep.

One of the best things about Jumpstart, especially in those difficult moments, is that we always have our team to support us. Getting to the Nebraska parking lot at 8:00 a.m. when you’re low on sleep is a lot easier when your teammates are there. We all have busy lives, and we’re all tired, but we give each other energy, and we help each other out. No matter how unprepared I may feel for one day personally, I know that session is going to be all right, because my teammates are there to give me energy and support me. We all work together to get things done; we have had days without our team leader, or without a team member, and we have always banded together to get everything done together.

In times like those that we have faced recently, it is important that we all remember that, no matter what else we have going on in our lives, what we do in Jumpstart is unspeakably important. There are children in our classrooms that depend on us, and we can’t let them down by forgetting how important our work is. Even on the worst of days, our team is there beside us to help us through, so that we can make the difference we are there to make, and do make, every day that we spend with these children.

~Rebecca Davis

Corps member

Team Determination