This past summer, I worked with a local non-for-profit tutoring service called JaxThrive. Jax-Thrive provides free tutoring, virtually and in-person, to refugee children in Florida and the surrounding southern United States. I earned about twenty-nine community service hours working with them. Through them, I was able to help many children, helping them finish their spring semester and finals or preparing them for the upcoming fall semester. Even though I couldn’t meet them in person, I tried my hardest to build connections. Even though I didn’t get to work with Jax-Thrive for very long, I learned lessons that will stick with me for the rest of my life. The two children I worked with the most were two brothers from Syria. They were resistant to my help at first, the younger thinking he didn’t need help, and the older stuck in his anxiety about a placement test he had to take at the beginning of the semester. As I worked with them more, they became more comfortable with me and let me help them. While they became more comfortable around me, I learned more and more about their pasts. I learned from the older brother how they fled Syria and the hardships that came with that experience. When I met them, these boys were nine and eleven years old, which meant that the youngest brother would have only been about six and the elder only eight when they fled Syria. It was hard to comprehend young children going through these awful situations. Before I met those kids, I never really understood or cared about what was going on in the Middle East and surrounding areas. Maybe it shows a lack of maturity, but I didn’t pay attention because it didn’t affect me directly, and I didn’t understand it at all. Now that I’ve had a chance to talk to these people and start to understand, I realize the fault of my previous ways. Having this fantastic chance to work with those kids and being comfortable enough to share their stories with me is something I am eternally grateful for. I’ve now been trying my best to keep up on worldwide issues and doing my best to be a real global citizen, and I want to continue being globally aware throughout my life. I do not want to miss out on chances to help change the world for the better because I couldn’t be bothered to look at events outside of my own country.

My favorite book always has been, and forever will be " The Island of Doctor Libris" by Chris Grabenstein. The premise of the book is getting kids interested in reading books that they may not normally pick up. For me, this book inspired me to start reading a great number of classics including, "The Three Musketeers" and the original "Robin Hood." "The Island of Doctor Libris" helped me start reading classics at an early age which has helped me to be a well-read adult. Now, I am reading books such as "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoevsky and "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy. Also, by helping me start reading those bigger, more adult, books at an early age, my reading and writing capabilities increased early on which has helped my throughout my dual enrollment career in highschool. When I look back and read this book as an adult, it is childish and absolutely takes creative liberties with the characters from the classic portrayed. In the same thought, it is interesting, funny, and engaging which is why it's helping kids engage with these more complex materials. Not only does it act as a benefit to kids and their reading, but it is also a genuinely good book. The main character's mother is working for this mysterious Dr. Libris who has a secret island where characters from stories come to life. The main character is also struggling through his parents' separation and trying his best to find new friends. It takes realistic struggles and adds a layer of fantasy. That's why it's my favorite book. Not only are the characters likeable and the storyline fun, it helps engage kids in a while new world of literature.