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MLK Day 2010

by Jessica O.

MyLife 24-7 Coordinator

The weather in Los Angeles has been less than awesome lately, and it seems like the sun decided to leave us Angelenos indefinitely. While the desert could use a good downpour once in a while, the rainy situation was not ideal for a day of high-impact community service. On my early morning drive to Belvedere Middle School in East LA, I saw more than one mangled car, their parts scattered across the freeway. Despite the dangerous conditions, I made it to Belvedere around 9:00 am, and watched the City Year Los Angeles Opening Ceremony begin.

As an alum of City Year Los Angeles (CYLA), I recognized plenty of faces. I was told that they were expecting at least 1,000 volunteers, but the weather had obviously deterred a good chunk of volunteers from serving, and everyone was so thankful that I actually showed up. Corps members were bundled up in their yellow bombers and scarves, and we stood patiently, coffee in hand, waiting to be deployed to our stations. I was on the "Be The Change" team with my fellow alumni. All teams were named after famous quotes by influential leaders, and mine happened to be one of my favorite quotes of all time by Ghandi: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

There were paint cans, paintbrushes, water buckets, and dripping wet volunteers everywhere. The outdoor projects had to be postponed, but there were plenty of walls and stairways inside the school that were ready to be painted. The great thing about City Year service days is that no experience is necessary. You might have never painted in your life, but it doesn't matter. There is always someone willing to lend a helping hand, and if you accidentally paint outside the lines, no one will yell at you.

I was put on the task of painting the stairway in the Technology & Media hallway. After a brief name game, we were given our brushes and paint. Since there weren't enough paint cups for everyone, a guy named Jonnie asked to share mine with me. He told me he was from Canada, and that he was here in L.A. with his friends to visit. I told him I went to New York Univsersity, he told me he went to McGill University, and we played the 'I know someone who went there! Do you know them?' game. He also told me that he and three of his friends had created a list of 100 things they want to do before they die, and they were on their journey to complete all 100. This all sounded SO amazing to me. I created a Life List of 50 things a while back, and I am always updating and crossing things off. I wondered how long it took them to create the ultimate list of 100 things together. Wouldn't they all have different things they wanted to do?

As time went by, and conversations continued, I began to notice more and more people coming over to say hi to him and his friends. There was also a photographer, a woman who kept talking about 'the bus,' and a guy who wanted to get Jonnie to approve his Twitter updates every other second.

Who IS this guy?

Turns out, THIS guy and his friends are the stars of a new show called 'The Buried Life' that was premiering THAT NIGHT (Monday) on MTV! The premise of the show is that they travel around and complete things on their list. For each thing they cross off, they help someone else cross off something on their list. Their modesty was alarming and inspiring. These guys took the time to come to a middle school in East LA in the pouring rain to paint a wall when they had a brand new show that was premiering on an international network. They clearly didn't care about the fame and fortune their new show would bring them. They only cared about making a difference, one paint stroke at a time.

We can be the change, and we can make a difference. It starts with people like Jonnie, and me, and you.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out their show at 10:00 pm Monday nights on MTV. Also check out their website, www.theburiedlife.com, and create your own list of things you want to do before you die.

What did YOU do for MLK Day this year? Comment below with all your stories.

Best stories will be featured on the MyLife 24-7 Service page.

Posted by MyLife24-7 administrator at 1/21/2010 4:59 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Getting Into College: A Personal Story

Amanda U.
MyLife 24-7 Ambassador

Picking your college is a very personal process. Your parents want to send you to their alma mater or Harvard but it doesn’t matter because it is not them who are going to college, it is you. Choosing a college is not easy. Most kids think that their college counselor will do the work for them but that is not true. Only you can know what is best for you, so you have to do all the work yourself. Trust me, I learned from experience.

I had been waiting for college since the 8^th grade. You can’t imagine how much I researched colleges even though I was four years away from applying to schools. It is never too early to start dreaming. Freshman year, I attended college fairs and was gawked at because I was so young. Sophomore and junior year I visited so many colleges that I knew within the first minute of a tour if I liked the school or not. By the time senior year rolled around as test, projects, and papers piled on, I was not scrambling to choose my colleges. I knew exactly the colleges I wanted to apply to and the application process was not difficult for me for that reason.

The one thing that did hold me back in the process was my college advisor. He sent me home crying one day because he made me believe that I could not get into my dream school, which was the University of Pennsylvania despite all my hard work and ambitions. Initially, I was deferred from the school and it seemed my fears had come true: I was not good enough for my dream school. I gave up on my dreams for a few weeks. This was of course unacceptable. I had let someone else get my thoughts down and as soon as I realized this I made sure to get in touch with the acceptance officers at the University of Pennsylvania and do anything I could short of giving money for a spot in the school.

I now attend the University of Pennsylvania in the Wharton School of Business and I did not get there with the help of any college counselor. My challenge to you is to search for your dream school and get accepted.

Posted by MyLife24-7 administrator at 12/9/2009 4:12 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Ambassador Google Group: How-To

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Posted by MyLife24-7 administrator at 7/9/2009 6:11 PM | Add Comment

This I Believe: Tolerance is Not Enough

Jivanto V.
MyLife 24-7 Ambassador

We live in a world that lacks. It lacks things there could never be enough of, like tolerance. I believe that through tolerance, we can become a little more understanding of one another. We can love a little more, and hate a little less. Through tolerance, we can become a unified nation and world instead of one divided. I believe in tolerance. However, tolerance is not enough...

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Posted by MyLife24-7 administrator at 7/6/2009 2:51 PM | Add Comment

The Writing On the Wall this Year? Character.

Olivia V.
MyLife 24-7 Ambassador

My high school is a pretty decorated place—literally. The hallways, walls, even bathroom stalls are adorned with handmade flyers that students and teachers have tacked up. When the head of Harvard-Westlake School stressed the importance character at the beginning of last year, there was an almost instantaneous change...

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Posted by MyLife24-7 administrator at 7/6/2009 2:31 PM | View Comments (4) | Add Comment

Candid Quotes: Mistakes, Ideas

MyLife 24-7 Ambassador Sara Z. lists her favorite quotes and reveals why they're important to her.

Leave a comment if these quotes make an impact on you...

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Posted by MyLife24-7 administrator at 7/1/2009 12:20 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Vibrant Videos: The MP3 Experiment - Six

Jivanto V.
MyLife 24-7 Ambassador

By ImprovEverywhere

Over 2,000 people of all ages downloaded the same mp3, pressed play at the same time, and had a blast together. This year's event (2009) took place on Roosevelt Island in New York City.

Read Technology Columnist David Pogue's recap of the event here »

Posted by MyLife24-7 administrator at 6/30/2009 4:50 PM | Add Comment