Julia Mach ’18 earned a double bachelors from Lewis in
Secondary Education and English. Believe it or not, English is not her first
language.
“I decided to go into the teaching field because I
struggled with learning English after being adopted from Russia,” says Julia.
“I was academically behind when I came to the United States. I wanted to help
others students who struggle with comprehending the English language and the
things that go along with that, like comprehension and writing.”
Julia wants to get working in the classroom as soon as
she can, but for now, she’s opted to transform lives in a different way as a
Lasallian Volunteer. As a volunteer, she performs service projects and outreach
for a community she is assigned to work in.
Julia turned to a life of service after participating
in multiple Lewis University Ministry Alternative Trip Experiences (LUMINATE).
During LUMINATE, Lewis students enter a weekend long or week-long service trip
during Spring break or after finals are completed in May. LUMINATE service
projects include tasks like building houses or gardening all while learning about the
importance of social and cultural justice. This year, her volunteerism has
taken her to Oregon, Nevada, Washington, and Alaska.
“I was amazed at what could get done in a week, and I
liked the idea of being able to live in a new place and meeting new people
while helping those who need it most. I liked that I was filling a need.”
Julia calls to mind one young boy who made a lasting
impact on her during a volunteer experience at DeLaSalle Academy in California. The boy, a fifth-grade student who
struggled with the English language, had the academic comprehension level of a
child in the third-grade. Julia worked with him one-on-one for a year to help
him improve his reading, writing, and speaking skills. At the end of one year,
the boy reached a comprehension level of a fourth-grader and was eligible to
remain in his school.
“These experiences are meaningful to me because I like
knowing that my skills are being used somewhere that they’re actually needed.
It makes me want to do my absolute best for those left to my care.”
Right now, Julia is in Concord, California working to
improve the lives of underserved residents and children in the area.
“It has been a great experience to live in California
and to be a part of the group. My community gets along really well with each
other and we’ve become a small family over the past year. I will miss them, but
I’m looking forward to joining a new community next year.”
Julia plans to
remain with the Lasallian Volunteers for a bit longer, but looks forward to
coming back to the classroom to earn her master’s degree in Social Work to help
children. When Julia isn’t performing service, she enjoys traversing the
Concord and San Francisco areas of California, attending festivals and making
new friends. While the travel is fun, she says it’s really about bringing joy
and service to where she is assigned.
“My goal is to make as much of a difference as
possible for the people I serve. I’m not just there to fill a job, I’m there to
fill a need. I want to make an
everlasting impression on others.”
No comments:
Post a Comment