My Story/college

My Story - Megan Nitschke

Megan Nitschke
Minnesota State University - Moorhead

Before joining STLF and discovering its powerful impact, I only dreamed about the possibilities of serving the world. After listening to a persuasive speech in my college speech class about the Pay It Forward Tour, I was convinced to attend a service work trip in which I solely new myself. A couple months later, I embarked on a journey that changed my life.

STLF’s mission of revealing leadership through service, relationships and action became very apparent on my first college PIF. I’ve always been an avid volunteer, so the service part came easy. During the PIF to Memphis, my group and I learned the importance our service work was in the world, being most prominent in one of the small communities we served in. I’ve never been so overwhelmed by gratitude in my life. Without knowing any of the community members, we were greeted with enthusiasm and appreciation. It made the work we did the next day so worth it. Not only were we accepted in the lives of community members, but we also felt a great amount of appreciation towards the elderly folks we were blessed to work with. At two nursing homes, our group was able to share our zest for life to brighten the lives of individuals in which we had no connection to. One lady that I met had Alzheimer’s, a disease that made it extremely difficult to properly communicate. I felt I had no power to add any enjoyment to her life. After sitting with her and discovering her intuitiveness to my conversation, I found out that listening to me was what brought her a sense of enjoyment. It allowed me to appreciate the essence of communication and how the little bit I feel I’m doing plays a much larger role in the lives of others.

Along with the importance of service, STLF has taught me about how relationships are the heart of happiness and encouragement in one’s life path. STLF introduced me to some of the best friends I could’ve asked for. Like I said, prior to the PIF I knew no one on the trip, but after nine days, I had 22 new best friends. Knowing that I have people in my life who share the same passions for service and bettering the lives of others is what makes my life worth living. To this day, I feel the most support among the friends I met on the PIF. They stand for hope, love and success in my journey through changing the world.

Finally, STLF has taught me how to take the ingredients of service and relationships to another level: action. I was so moved by the PIF and the impact of STLF that I knew my dedication couldn’t stop after spring break. After one day on my first PIF, I knew my next step was to attempt to take on a leadership role as a bus core member. This responsibility has become an important step in pushing my life into a positive and highly effective leadership direction. Another form of action I’ve taken since my first PIF is leading a high school PIF and even continuing my leadership further into my own high school, in which my sister and I are currently arranging a PIF to take off this coming June.

I can’t express the importance for STLF in just a couple paragraphs, because this new aspect of my life has become my way of life. I’ve learned so much about myself and those around me as well as the impact every individual has on the positive change in this world. I will continue making memories and creating lasting experiences through the power of STLF.

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