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| Team Care Force Senior Corps Member, Steadman Graves |
My name is Steadman Graves. I am 21 years old and I was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. I am the second oldest of eight children, but I never felt like I was close with those children. I never really felt the love that I should have felt from my parents, which caused me to act out and try and get attention anyway that I could. Despite these problems, I was eager and destined to finish high school and worked extremely hard. I graduated from Boston Day Academy which offered a different approach to high school but was as rigorous as they come.
After high school, I completed one year at Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts, and one year at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it but I knew I was not completely satisfied. After leaving Full Sail because of financial reasons, I moved in with family in North Carolina. I was not sure what my next move would be but I knew I had to make one. A City Year recruiter came to North Carolina Central University and spoke to some students there, and my mom who is a professor there passed the information on to me. She encouraged me to apply and I gave it some deep, long thought. I figured it would be a great way to give back to my community and finally find the fulfillment I had been looking for. I moved back to Boston and started my corps year on the Neighborhood House Charter School team.
My first year of service was great. I grew so much and my leadership skills were in constant development. My team was excellent and we got along so well with each other. I think the reason for this was that we all worked well independently and we focused on getting our jobs done. One thing I did struggle with early in my corps year was punctuality. I was never extremely late, but I would consistently get to the school 2-5 minutes late. Although it did not directly affect the students I worked with, I knew I had to get to work on time to show that I was a responsible role model. After our Advanced Training Retreat in January, I got on the right track. I took responsibility for myself and did what I had to do to get to work on time. I saw that my team’s program manager was happy and he developed trust in me which encouraged me to do even better.
I did not initially consider signing up for another year with City Year and then I found out about Care Force. I was on a great team for my corps year and I wanted to continue on to the next best thing. I always want everything that I do to make me become a better person. At the NHCS, I was forced to face some of my fears and rise up and be the leader that was hiding in me for years. Care Force will allow me to continue to fulfill one of my many goals that I have in life. In my first year I was able to give back to my community directly. In my senior corps year I will be able to bring City Year to the communities that may not have City Year or an organization like it, and show them what community is, and how important it is. I know this is going to be a great year for me. I want to build relationships with teammates, staff, and those that we do service with. I hope through this experience I am able to change someone’s life in anyway that I can.
3 comments:
Look at that guy! man, Mr. Graves is looking good! Nice article
Mr Graves is a woman beating bible thumping coward.
Apparently Mr Graves doesn't like my posts. He is now threatening the mother of my child instead of talking to me directly. Cowardly. He's a kidnapper. A rapist. A bully. Take it up with someone your own size.
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