red jacket ceremony

Yesterday was the end of Basic Training Academy (BTA), which means two things.  First, starting Monday, we'll be in the school full time Monday-Thursday. Fridays we come back for training/professional development, but I think I can speak for everyone when I say I am SO glad to be done with training. It was interesting and they did their best to make it fun, but there are only so many ways to lecture before it gets old real fast.  Second, BTA is always ended with the Red Jacket Ceremony where each CY corps member, senior corps, and staff stand up and individually dedicate their jacket (and their year of service) to something or someone.  I have a lot, but for the sake of time, I publicly dedicated my jacket to Our Community Place and to my team mate Rachel Tran.  Here's a list of all of my dedications though!

1. Our Community Place- OCP is a soup kitchen and community center and Harrisonburg. I was fortunate enough to volunteer there every Thursday my junior and senior year of college. The people there were so loving and grateful for everything.  They taught me how to give love every day and showed me how fortunate I am.  They showed me the value of education and how unfair it is that the quality of your education is often determined by the zip code you're born in.
2. Rachel Tran- This girl is amazing. She's on my team and is currently dealing with a ton of stuff, but never fails to think of others before herself. She is truly selfless.
3. Alpha Phi Omega-  APO changed my life. Hands down. It made me into the person I am today and inspires me to live a life of service.  It completed my JMU experience and continues to motivate me to be a better person. This fraternity and the brothers in it mean the world to me and they are the reason I am serving with City Year today.
4. Mom, Dad, Andrew and Ben- My parents instilled in me the importance of education and made sure that I received a great education growing up.  They have supported me in each and every endeavor and helped me so much with the move here.  Andrew- the one person I know who will always keep me in check and humble me.  I hope that he considers City Year after college because he would be such a great role model and mentor for inner city boys. He's one of the coolest people I know!  Ben is one of the strongest people I know. He has dealt with stuff no 13 year old should and has done it with such strength. I am so proud.
5. My team- Since coming here, my team has become my family here.  They are so strong and are a constant inspiration and I am motivated to work hard for them.  My team leader Erica is incredible and my team members are such great corps members. I do it all for them. 
6. Ms. Moulton's first grade class- These 20 kids have already won my heart and motivate me every day.  They put a smile on my face every time I walk in the classroom and love me regardless of how many times I yell at them. They deserve the world and it kills me that they are missing lots of things I had growing up.  I hope by the end of the year, I have given them the gift of education because I truly believe it will change their life. It is the key to success and if I can give them that, then it's been a year well spent.

Charlie Rose, the dean of City Year, emceed the ceremony and called each team up to the stage individually. We all went up and one by one, said who we were dedicating our jackets to. Erica, who is sentimental but doesn't show her emotions a lot, started to cry when she dedicated her jacket to us, which of course made me start to cry. My team had a rough week and it was a great way to end this week by reminding us all why we serve.  I hope that when the days are long and cold and all I want to do is sleep another hour, I'll put on the jacket and remember these six dedications because they are what will get me through this year. 

Dedicating my jacket!

My team after the red jacket ceremony. I couldn't have asked to serve along side 11 greater individuals.

"Red on the outside. Idealism on the inside." -Charlie Rose