In my grandparents’ home, hangs a plaque. On it are each house’s family crests and a phrase scrawled in neat little cursive, “Ut Prosim”. Until I was accepted into Virginia Tech, the motto did not mean much to me. No one had even told me what is was or its meaning. It was just part of my daily life.

            I have been raised on the system of Ut Prosim. For me it is not a sense of community as it is here at Tech. It does not bring people together; it does not unite groups. It creates groups. I believe that part of being a decent human being involves caring about others and that is what community service is to me. Service is the product of a population that remains sensitive to the pain of others. Service is caring for others because it is the right and just thing to do.

            The next question is my service. I serve as a result of my lineage. My family believes that as long as we are in a position to support ourselves with the necessities, we are in a position to give to others. Services can be little things as simple as holding the door open for someone who’s walking behind you or as large as going on a mission trip. It doesn’t have to be something that completely alters your viewpoint on life, just something that you put your heart into. You have to care for the service to begin to make a difference.

            Service without heart is not service at all. To make an impact, one must truly care about those they are working with. I volunteer with BARC for my love of animals, with St. Joseph’s Regional Hospital for my medical history. I love what I do. Not a single baby hat that I knitted felt like a chore. I truly believed that if I could ease even a little of the burden of the newborn parents, my efforts would be more than worthwhile. While volunteering with BARC, my only goals are to connect with the puppies so that they are personable and to help them be trained. I would not be able to stand seeing a puppy go without being adopted. The isolation and the disappointment for that puppy would bring anyone to tears.

            My service betters my life. I do not mean that in the traditional sense that I feel better about myself after having served. Instead it means that I know that I am following my family lineage and growing up into the type of person I wish to be. There is no personal gain to serving others. Yes, I, like most other people, will pick service opportunities that appeal to my own personal interests, but that is due to my want to stay interested for the duration of the project. I would be devastated if I were to lose interest part of the way through the project. It would be a shame to disappoint the people counting on the completion of the event. Projects should not be left undone.

            My family is my motivating factor in all that I do. My grandfather’s motto gives my family a greater purpose and refuses to let us squander in our own pity. No matter the challenge of our own lives, the time should be taken to help those less fortunate.