During my third time arriving at my school for our Jumpstart session, a little girl ran up to me as she was leaving school. She was not one of my reading group students and she looked like she was in third or fourth grade. She came up to me and confidently said “Excuse me miss, what is college like?” I was surprised by her confidence and genuine interest in learning about college. I looked at her and said “It’s my first year in college, and it’s amazing but it’s also a lot of work, keep working hard now and some day you’ll be prepared to conquer it.” She smiled and told me that she would work hard. When beginning my service as as Jumpstart corp member I had no idea that any of my students or students at the school would be thinking about college, let alone be interested in asking me about it. However, after that encounter I realized that the impact of my presence within the school goes beyond the assistance and curriculum that I provide within my preschool classroom. Other children within the school community see us as role models. They are fascinated because we are older, accomplished students who were once their age. They see us as adults who have overcame everything that they will someday go through in school. As Jumpstart Corp Members we inspire every child we come in contact with, one way or another. While the little girl who spoke to me may not remember our conversation when she gets older, the encouragement that I provided when she asked me that question will hopefully flourish within her. It will help her to stay focused, to set goals, and to value her experiences within grade school. As for my team and I, the encounter allowed us to put our service into perspective. We realized our overall commitment to acting as role models and our duty to pay it forward by serving within the D.C. community.

-Maureen Smith