odds & ends

Opening Day was amazing! 150 Corps Members were sworn in by the Mayor of Los Angeles and pledged to dedicate 10 months of full-time service; it was a powerful day. See the picture and video below.




Also, check out this article about our Opening Day.

We also got our uniforms the day before opening day--here is a photo of me in mine (we wear yellow instead of red just to be on the safe side because red is a gang color in LA). I must say, I felt pretty empowered to serve when I put it on for the first time (and still do everyday). Wearing our uniforms not only expresses our full time commitment to service, but it identifies each team member as a part of City Year, which is a recognizable symbol of hope, idealism and inspiration. I can't tell you how many times in just this short month someone on the bus or train has said to me "Hey, what's City Year? I see those yellow jackets everywhere." Perfect time for me to give my elevator speech and to talk about how much of a privilege it is that I get to serve each and every day.



Shifting gears...

I decided two things this weekend: 1) I'm going to read a new book every 2 weeks (thanks to my new LA Public Library membership) and, 2) I'm going to begin studying for the GRE!! (exciting...sort of). My projected start date is Oct 12th.

That being said, check out the "Currently Reading" section on the right side of this page. This particular book I borrowed from a friend here in LA and am loving it thus far because not only is it a memoir, but it's also a quick read. This weekend, I came across this quotation that I really liked in the book, which I felt spoke to me: "Don't think about the next job; focus on doing the very best you can with the job you have. Learn everything you can from everyone you can. Focus on the possibilities of each job, not the limitations." Each day, I have an opportunity to learn something new in this job and I LOVE that. I want to soak up all I can in these next 10 months so that I can truly grow and develop as a better individual. A wise woman once told me that opportunities like this help build character and that's exactly what I'm looking forward to with this entire experience.

Lastly, if anyone has any good book recommendations or good GRE books/practice tests, I would love to know about them!