Discovering Your Child’s Potential Through Service: Spotlight on Jocelyn

By: Jessup Traum

Parenting is a journey filled with opportunities to guide our children toward success, self-awareness, and meaningful careers. One of the most impactful ways to achieve this is through service. In the whirlwind of student life, with its stresses and worries, many young people miss out on the essence of existence. Depression, anxiety, and social isolation loom large when they lack meaningful connections and experiences beyond the digital realm. Yet, we hold the key to empowering our children to overcome these challenges: by helping them engage in service activities.

Here’s how encouraging your child to participate in community service can shape their future:

1. Building Successful Habits Participating in service activities instills essential habits that pave the way for success. By actively engaging in projects and acquiring new skills, students naturally adopt traits commonly found in accomplished individuals. From punctuality to self-discipline, from prioritizing health to serving others, the lessons learned through service are invaluable and often extend beyond the classroom.
2. Facilitating Self-Discovery Service offers a unique platform for students to discover their strengths, interests, and values. Through hands-on experiences and interaction with diverse communities, students gain insights into their own abilities and preferences. Whether it’s uncovering hidden talents or discerning future aspirations, service provides fertile ground for self-exploration and personal development. By simply learning about themselves, they begin to plan out their future and what they want out of life
3. Navigating Career Paths Exploring different service opportunities allows students to experiment with various interests and activities, ultimately guiding them toward their future careers. By actively participating and reflecting on their experiences, students gain clarity regarding their passions and professional goals. Service not only broadens their horizons but also equips them with the skills and insights necessary for success in their chosen fields. Most students need to try different things to find out what their real passion and career will be. If they sit at home and do nothing, then they will get nothing.

Spotlight: Jocelyn Sotelo

Let’s take a closer look at Jocelyn Sotelo’s remarkable journey as a prime example of the transformative power of service:

Jocelyn, a dedicated scholar in the success coaching program, embarked on her service journey with the aim of personal growth and community impact. With her innate diligence and organizational skills, she embraced various service projects, dedicating countless hours to helping others. Over the last few months, she has volunteered over 50+ hours across 6 different locations putting together meals for families, providing food to countries in need, and many more things. At school, Jocelyn has dedicated 30+ hours to tutoring her peers in various subjects helping them to raise their grades to a full letter grade on average. She has also made multiple goals seeking to serve her immediate and extended family members and developing her relationships with them by spending time with them, cooking meals, talking to them on the phone and giving gifts. Jocelyn’s commitment to service has not only enriched her own life but also positively impacted those around her.

Through her service endeavors, Jocelyn has honed essential communication skills, forged meaningful connections, and deepened her understanding of her cultural heritage. She is a great teacher and has found a passion for helping others in this way. Her most recent accomplishment has been winning a spot in the statewide Civics Matters competition and a trip to Washington DC on the Arizona Cardinals jet! Her dedication has been recognized through numerous accolades, including prestigious awards and opportunities for further advancement. Now, she has a dream to become a dermatologist and has continued on her path to do this. She understands that her future could change but she has envisioned a life that her parents hope is better than theirs. She is determined to get there and has the skills and support to get there!

Jocelyn’s journey serves as a testament to the profound impact of service on personal and professional development. By prioritizing service and embracing opportunities for growth, she has emerged as a resilient leader with a clear vision for her future. She is grateful for the Valley Guardians program that has provided her with the opportunity to improve herself!