Seeking simplicity, in New York of all places
Let's just say I've never thought of myself as a minimalist — and that's what I thought simplicity was: a lack of resources and physical...
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From the Voice of Our Volunteers
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- Jan 25, 2022
Finding Simplicity in Everyday Life
Right before starting my GSV year, I could not tell you what simplicity meant, much less how I could apply it to my life. All I could do...
- Dec 29, 2021
Gratitude: The Faith Story
“It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” -Charles Spurgeon I didn’t have much growing up and I still...
- May 5, 2021
As a chapter ends, it's a gift to be part of a larger story
As I help prepare for end-of-the-year activities like senior team-building day, senior retreat and graduation, I feel as though I am...
- Apr 21, 2021
Innate human dignity means broken bread, not broken bodies
I am incredibly grateful to have been fully vaccinated for just over a month now. To all those who worked tirelessly to make numerous...
- Apr 7, 2021
'Get out from your head and get growing, dear child'
"Get out from your house, from your cave, from your car, from the place you feel safe, from the place that you are. Get out and go run...
- Mar 31, 2021
Two weeks, two shootings and more anti-Asian hate crimes: What can I do?
When I wake up every morning, I check my phone immediately, battling between returning to a dreamy haze and needing to get ready for the...
- Mar 24, 2021
With Collier Chats, I see our school through others' eyes
One tradition for Good Shepherd Volunteers at Collier High School is Collier Chats, lighthearted conversations with co-workers throughout...
- Mar 10, 2021
Amid melting snow and warmer days, hope for a future harvest
The smallest hint of green in a patch of thick, brown soil. The puddles of melted snow bridging across the roads. The de-layering and...
- Feb 24, 2021
The four tenets of Good Shepherd Volunteers keep me rooted
As I reflect back on the first half of my volunteer year, I am struck by how the tenets have kept me rooted when the pandemic has turned...
- Feb 10, 2021
Planting seeds of strength with Amanda Gorman's inspiring poem
A task Collier High School students in studio arts undertake in a typical year involves painting the high school windows with a poem and...
- Jan 27, 2021
Students show the courage, resilience needed for civic engagement
The opportunity to work alongside students through Model U.N. and to dive into the Collier community excited me, especially as many clubs...
- Jan 13, 2021
Start 2021 by making room for the unexpected
Sighs of relief, heartfelt reflections and buckets of hope ushered in the first few hours of 2021. On social media, I glimpsed what many...
- Dec 30, 2020
In a year of darkness and uncertainty, we are a people of hope
Despite the recognition and experience of deep suffering, I truly believe we are a people of hope. Looking back on different seasons of...
- Dec 16, 2020
Intimidation, creativity and determination in a time of transition
"Down the hill" is a phrase I frequently use to distinguish my work as a volunteer in Collier High School and in the Collier Transition...
- Nov 25, 2020
Creativity abounds. The trees know it.
I spent one of my first weekends as a volunteer in New Jersey surrounded by markers, colored pencils and posterboard and making too many...
- Sep 24, 2020
Into the Wilderness
Our first activity during orientation and retreat week involved creating vision board collages about who we are and why we are here. The...
- May 30, 2019
What I've Lost and What I've Found
I always really liked the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” I elaborated on this a little once...
- Apr 30, 2019
But Why New Jersey?? A Call to Serve as a GSV During Gap Year Before Medical School
[This post was originally delivered as a speech by Martina Penalosa at the 2019 Good Shepherd Volunteers Spring Benefit] A year,...
- Jan 18, 2019
Three Good Things
As a Good Shepherd Volunteer at Collier High School, my days are filled with cold mornings, substitute teaching, quiet lunch duties, and...
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