I wrote this e-mail to my prof. Reading it a week later makes me laugh...as does her respone:
Hi Sheryl,
So, I know that this is very late notice, but I didn't think It would hurt to ask..so here it goes. :)
I very recently found out that I there was a spot that opened up on the Pay it Forward tour for the week of March 17th to the 25th. The Pay It Forward Tour is basically a nine day community service road trip to Washington DC in which you stop in several cities along the way doing community service projects. It was started by a few Carlson students (who happen to be very good friends of mine) in 2003. It's really quite an impressive student group that really just wants to do some good in the world over spring break -- a time when many of our peers are doing the exact opposite. Here's an exert from their website:
"Since it's start, Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF) have successfully expanded in size and scope to include 7 college-based chapters on campuses throughout the Midwest, as well as a chapter at West Fargo High School. Recently, STLF has become a recognized nonprofit organization by the state of Minnesota and has developed a national office based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Pay it Forward Tour has gone from one bus of 43 students in our inaugural year of 2004, to four buses of 150 people in 2005. In 2006 it will consist of 8 buses and as many as 350 people traveling to our nations capital, collectively volunteering in nearly 40 cities this spring break. The Pay It Forward Tour has impacted hundreds of student participants, and thousands of others in communities across the country, and the movement has only just begun. " (www.stlf.net)
Because of swimming, I have never had the chance to participate or support my friends and honestly this is my last chance to experience what they spend so much of their time in college working on. I also feel like this is also my last opportunity to do a big community service event like this because I am graduating in May and then I starting work at Ernst and Young as an auditor. Not to be cynical, but we all know how much free time public accountants have. :(
I really enjoy doing community service work and being able to take this trip would allow me one more opportunity to do so. I know our midterm is the 23rd, but I would even be willing to learn the material early and come in over spring break and take the midterm. Believe it or not, swimming really doesn't allow me the time to do thing like this. This is something that I really want to do and actually have the chance to do. (hopefully, the length of this e-mail is making you realize that) I'm a good kid, that just wants to help some people out and as STLFer's would say, "change the world." Before you make a decision, I would highly recommend checking out their website..the vision and history is especially good, what STLF has accomplished is really quite amazing. I guess this is just my plee and hope that you will understand.
Thanks for considering it,
Abby
Abby,
Yes... It seems like a very worthwhile thing for you to do, I know you are a "good kid", and I know very well the demands of competitive sports on your time. So, go, enjoy, and make the world better off!
Two things: 1) scheduling your exam: talk to me after class today. My inclination is to have you take it on the Monday after the exam, which would be March 27th. Let me know if this works and we can figure out a time.
Second thing:2) after you graduate: I would strongly encourage you to try to volunteer even when you are working at E&Y! There are a lot of good organizations you can work with and a lot of things you can do that might not be a huge amount of time. Volunteering as an adult literacy tutor, working with kids swim teams at the Y... Anyway, just my encouragement on that front, as someone who has squeezed in various volunteer and civic commitments over the years!
SWS
