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Joseph Makunga: #mySSPstory

Joseph Makunga
Citrus College, Junior
Food Service Coordinator Chiloquin, 2017
Claremont United Methodist Church

I have been working with SSP for two summers now, and I have to say it’s been one of the greatest experiences of my life. There’s nothing like serving a community for a summer with a group of young adults you’ve only just met. The appreciation for the work and values SSP espouses reminds me why I keep coming back.

 

With the start of the summer a melancholy sweeps over me as I recognize the person I am now will transform in nine and a half weeks.

I find myself in awe watching the volunteers transform as the week progresses. The ability of these young people to engulf themselves in this experience astounds me. I know it to be true, because just three years ago I embarked on my first-ever trip with Sierra Service Project. Youth from my church always said what an amazing experience it was, but I was always busy the week my church went.

It was not until the summer after I graduated I had the opportunity to go to my first (and what I thought would be my last) SSP. When we arrived in San Diego, I was a little skeptical as to what to expect of our week, being a first timer. However by Friday, I dreaded leaving site, I could hardly believe the week had gone by so fast. What had seemed strange at the beginning had turned into a routine. I mean, where else would I be able to sand and prime the exterior of a house, and fix holes in drywall? 

 

Never before had I done work like this, but one week later, I felt like I could really make an impact on someone’s life.
As soon as I got home, I started looking into ways to be more involved with SSP. Lucky for me, I had the opportunity to serve as a Staff-in-Training weeks later in Schurz, Nevada. It was then that I knew I wanted to be on summer staff. The next summer I served as a Food Service Coordinator in San Diego and again this summer (2017) in Chiloquin, OR. It’s difficult to forecast where I would be now if I had never gone to San Diego that first summer. I hold steadfast my opinion that I am a better person because of it.
 
As a youth volunteer, SSP literally gives you the tools you need to build a better life for someone. Being on summer staff, you get to see how youth are empowered as they do great work within the community. As a junior at Citrus College majoring in Biology, I know SSP has had a huge impact on tempering me for the road ahead. I’m certain the love, dedication, and community I’ve seen will always reside in my heart.

 

Editor’s note: Joseph is a Leadership Academy fellow. His story is the first of the #mySSPstory series highlighting SSP staff leaders and their stories.

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