1. Emily Short
WRD110-029
20 October 2012
Eighty Hours of Change
Being born and raised in a materialistic bubble is something that will effect one's life
forever. The suburb of Columbus, Ohio named New Albany is one perfect example of this kind
of environment. Fancy cars, white fences, and country club members galore. I was forced to live
among these unappreciative people for all of my life, but I was nothing like them. Luckily I was
given one opportunity to escape this confining place and see life outside of what I have been
shown in New Albany. Experiencing a life I knew nothing about opened up new doors and
possibilities in my life and anyone given an opportunity to explore new places should take a
chance and do so.
Growing up in a small suburb of Columbus, Ohio is something that is fully capable of
tainting one's mind. Not only did the appearance of New Albany come off as snooty, but the
residents did as well. Working my way through the New Albany Plain Local School District was
not a walk in the park. The girls were mean, the boys were naive, and the drama was never
ending. I continuously tried to battle my way through making good grades and handling different
social conflicts, but nothing ever seemed good enough. Growing up in a place like this makes it
extremely difficult to find a core group of friends that makes one feel special. I managed to find
this group of friends my senior year of high school. This group was my only escape from the up-
tight environment of this town except for one other opportunity, Senior Seminar.
My senior year I was required to complete a project that comes to a total of one hundred
hours, eighty project hours and twenty research hours. This project sounded as if it was some

2. kind of method of torture at first, however it ended up being one of the most beneficial
experiences of my life. Each student was able to choose the topic of their project, therefore I
chose to help with children's programs at the Northern Lights branch of the Columbus
Metropolitan Library. The area of Columbus that this library branch is located is a complete
opposite of the branch in New Albany. The culture of people is different, the layout is different,
and the environment of the library is different. I worked with the children through Story Times
and themed afternoon programs. The diversity of the children and families I experienced at
Northern Lights was extremely unfamiliar to me, but very eye-opening.
My experience at Northern Lights was something that I did not think I would get out of
Senior Seminar. I was able to put my future goals of teaching into practice and watch the effects
it had on those around me. I was able to meet many different kinds of people and learn to speak
to each of them in a way that would make them feel comfortable. I was so used to living in the
New Albany "bubble" that I had no idea a place outside of New Albany could be so amazing.
After my time at the library I am completely able to see that the world outside of New Albany is
a place that I want to involve myself. I want to teach in a place where my teaching will benefit
my students in a greater way. I will never again feel confined by the "bubble".
At times it was difficult for me to convey this message to those around me. My friends,
as I was at first, seemed to be intimidated by the idea of leaving New Albany and jumping into
something new. They would politely listen to what I had to say about my experience, but it never
truly seemed as if they were understanding what I was saying. I would always speak in an
enthusiastic tone to make sure they could see how this experience has changed me for the better.
To this day I push my friends to try something like what I did just to get some experience being
involved in a place that is not surrounded by white fences and expensive cars.

3. Speaking to my family was slightly easier. Naturally my family seems to listen to more of
what I say than my friends, but they also seemed to be more interested and understanding. My
father is involved in the Columbus Metropolitan Library so he was able to connect with my
experiences, also. I would explain to them what I did with the children and how handled myself
in this new environment. They were all very proud of me for escaping the only place I have ever
known and for doing it on my own. When I spoke about my experience at the library to my
family I spoke in a more casual and informative tone. They were wanting to know specific facts
and situations, which made it more exciting and enjoyable to talk about.
Telling my teachers about my project was the most rewarding way of communicating my
shift. All of my teachers seemed to have something to share about their lives after I told them
about my experience. All teachers are required to spend time student teaching while they are
getting their degree which provided each of them with stories to share with me about their time
working at inner city schools. Speaking to my teachers I was more formal and extremely
informative. I told them everything I did at the library and explained how I felt about it. I felt as
if they would understand what I was feeling because dealing with new people is something they
do every day.
Sharing stories about the experience I had at Northern Lights was probably the most
effective way to get my point across to the people I talked to. Even if they were just being polite
and were not truly interested, I was still sharing with them something they were unfamiliar with
which was intriguing. It did not matter who I was talking to about the library, I always chose my
words carefully to give off the most positive vibes as I could about my experience. To this day I
never want to speak about my project and leave a person feeling as if they are glad they chose
something else to do or have never experienced anything like what I did.

4. Forcing yourself to work out of your comfort zone, to an extent, is almost imperative for
one to succeed in life. Surrounding one's self with the same variety of people and the same
settings will cause one's mind to only be able function around those specific things. Having
experience in multiple different cultures and situations is something that will allow one's mind to
expand and operate in ways that a sheltered person's mind cannot. The experience provides a
kind of self confidence that is unique from anyone else's. This self confidence is one that allows
one to feel confident in control in unfamiliar situations and to be able to adjust and get the job
done in any setting.
My experience at Northern Lights provided me with the self confidence that allows me to
involve myself in different groups and speak about my experiences with anyone who is curious. I
have been a Sunday School teacher at my church, New Albany Church, for about three years
now. I work with a small group of children, boys in grade two through five, and teach them small
bible lessons and play games. This past summer I got up in front of my entire church
congregation and spoke to them about how helping with the small groups has changed me. I had
no idea that I was capable of putting myself out there to people I did not even know. The reason I
was able to do this was because of my time at Northern Lights. I learned about giving everyone a
chance, respecting different opinions and views, and sharing your experiences for the benefit of
other people.
I am thankful for the experience I had at the library, and I am proud to say that I spent
eighty hours at Northern Lights. Some people may find spending so much time at such a
different place somewhat embarrassing. I find it fascinating. This experience defines the way I
look at other people and my acceptance of all other cultures. If given the opportunity, all people
should take some time to experience something out of the ordinary. Something that is completely

5. new, scary, and exciting. Those eighty hours changed my life, and I am confident that some time
spent outside of anyone's comfort zone with change theirs, too.