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ANA SANTOS – FDDS – GIVE SMART #8
ANA SANTOS
FDDS Class of 2014
Give Smart – Question #8
Would you recommend Give Smart to a friend? Why or why not? What were three things you learned from Give Smart?
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Give Smart – Question #7
You learn more from failures than successes. Explain the difference between a successful failure and failing successfully.
Here we are, at the last chapter of the book. In almost a poetically ironic way this is also the last chapter, the final stretch of my junior year at American University. In between all my last-minute assignments I find time to reflect on my struggles and triumphs throughout the academic year.
Giving better – striving for excellence – is a fundamental choice. And deciding, courageously, to embrace that choice has one overarching central imperative: to learn.
The last chapter of “Give Smart” poses the question: am I getting better? We can answer this question two ways: by focusing on the results you are trying to achieve and demanding that you have an informed point of view about your current performance, and by implying that you can achieve better results, no matter how well you may currently be doing. The chapter argues that a “getting better” approach is better than a pass/fail mindset, and that getting better is a choice.
The best motivation is internal motivation. Something to keep you going when times are easy and when times are hard. “Striving to be ‘the best they can be’ is a personal and deeply rooted motivation that carries over into… philanthropy” (193). What separates the good from the great is not settling for good enough. “Dodging the question ‘how do I get better?’ is to accept the status quo which, eventually, will cause any endeavor to drift toward mediocrity” (194).
I’ve often found that failure is a better teacher than success. All too often, I’ve seen energetic people get caught up in success and suddenly become impossibly self-important, overconfident, and cocky. Once they feel invincible, they don’t know how to comprehend failures, roadblocks, and challenges. I’ve seen very smart and hard-working people get caught off-guard by small roadblocks because they became too self-involved and lost enthusiasm. Accentuating the positive while ignoring the negative limits our ability to improve, according to Give Smart.
A successful failure involves learning. Failing successfully is hitting rock bottom with no idea how you got there and no idea where to go from there. It’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up. A proactive failure would involve an important lesson or behavioral improvement. If you keep making the same mistake over and over and over again, you’re just an idiot. Sorry.
ANA SANTOS
FDDS Class of 2014
Give Smart – Question #6
Success is achievable through good partnership which only happens when there is good preparation. Describe a good return of investment on your 4 year undergraduate experience? Do all the people investing in your college degree have the same definition of success as you or are they expecting a different return, explain.
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Give Smart – Question #5
Describe a compromise you regret you made. Explain two things you will never compromise and why. Identify the things you are willing to sacrifice to succeed.
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Give Smart – Question #4
When working in a group project you will face obstacles; one of which is risk, another is accountability and you also have to learn how to delegate. Explain when and how you decide to take a risk. Describe your catalyst for action, when do you move from “I will do” to “I have done.”
College is full of group projects. It seems to be a growing trend in college classrooms to assign at least one group project per class per semester. Many students I’ve worked with have despised this curriculum requirement, saying that there can be such a thing as “too much group work.” At least one person has to hold the rest of the group accountable for their actions in order to get work done. Accountability is putting pressure on yourself to reach goals and deliver results.
When it comes to make a project that goes above and beyond the standards outlined by the professor, there needs to be a serious tone of accountability and sense of adventure within the group. Unfortunately, most group projects stray away from taking risks. They strictly adhere to the project requirements to avoid doing “difficult” and “unnecessary” work.
The Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program is dedicated to going above and beyond. Several projects the scholars have and are working on are FotoSynthesis, Hope for the Holidays book drive (2012 event here), and Scholars for Progress. I’ve worked on two of these projects (Fotosynthesis and Hope for the Holidays). With start-up programs like these, there really isn’t any large group of people looking up to us and pushing us to succeed. It’s all up to us whether we succeed or not.
As the leader for Hope for the Holidays, my role was guiding the other group members in coordinating all the many different tasks and keeping everyone motivated. There were children and administrators at the CentroNía charter school in Columbia Heights holding us accountable. If we wanted to improve our fundraising and book collection strategy, we had to take some risks. We relied on more people and aimed for more books. We raised over four hundred books for the students at CentroNía, which I consider to be a success.
Fotosynthesis was entirely risk and accountability. Two years ago, four of us (Falon, Nallely, Alan, and myself) created a project plan and submitted it to the Clinton Global Initiative University at George Washington University. It was accepted, and we were one of the youngest students to attend the conference. Since then, the project has seen it’s own series of successes, setbacks, growth, and failures. Last semester, our progress stalled mostly because of lack of accountability and too much playing it safe.
Are group projects overrated? Some argue that the world needs to balance satisfying the needs of extroverts and introverts, as in this TED Talk by Susan Cain. Introverts can be quite motivated on their own and don’t need others to judge them to move forward. Extroverts, in their own right, get energy from active involvement and being around people. It is important that each type of person can hold themselves accountable in different ways. I classify myself as an introvert. I prefer doing things alone or with few people. It doesn’t mean I’m anti-social or not cooperative in group settings. It’s just a different way of focusing.
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Give Smart – Question #3
What have you been unsuccessful at this year? What were the outcomes and tradeoffs related to that failure? Describe what changed in you behavior because of it, how you will manage your time appropriately, and the discipline required to avoid repeating your mistakes.
Chapter 2 of “Give Smart” by Thomas J. Tierney and Joel L. Fleishman discuss the definition of success and how it can be achieved. The whole book deals with the larger questions of how to strategize giving away your resources to the best effect.
“Developing a strategy for your philanthropy is an iterative process that required asking, and answering, three separate but related questions: ‘What will constitute success for this initiative?’ ‘What will it take to achieve success?’ and ‘What am I accountable for?’”
To develop your meaning of success, you need to keep three important things in mind: get clear, get real, and get personal. You need to define what your standards are, develop a measurable plan of how your goals can be attained, and make sure your giving emphasizes your personal beliefs and values. These three pieces come together to form a robust strategy for developing and strategizing success.
This academic year has been one of my most eventful years so far at American University. After finishing another summer internship in DC, I found myself a leader in different students organizations, including the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program.
If you asked me two years ago what a failure was, my answer would be quite different than what I think a failure is today. I was a lot harder on myself back then. I knew what I wanted and became increasingly frustrated when I didn’t meet my own standards. Failure would be when I didn’t get the grade or the internship I wanted. Now, failure to me is not know what I want. I feel like the more I’ve done (and I’ve done a lot and had a lot of experiences), but with the more I learn, the less I know about myself. I had very clear goals when I started at American University, but now my plans are significantly more ambiguous. Not knowing what I want to do it failure.
When it comes to my shortcomings, I would point to my lack of time management skills. Even as a junior, I still encounter difficulties in utilizing my time wisely. Some people have suggested I spend less time with clubs, but I respectfully disagree. My extracurricular clubs aren’t overwhelming, and they help me motivate myself and make friends.
Some other people have suggested I make a study calendar. I would disagree with this as well. My problem isn’t scheduling time to study. I do study a lot. My problem isn’t lack of attention, lack of caring, or lack of focus, as people easily assume. My problem is lack of proper pacing.
It’s easier for me to focus on one large project at once rather than three different projects at once. I wouldn’t say I’m a procrastinator, I start projects early. The problem is I don’t finish my big projects fast enough so I’m pushed up to the last minute with other homework for other classes. I really want to deliver an excellent project, but I’ve found it’s impossible to give 100% to absolutely everything. As a result, half my work is great while the other half seems rushed. I need to continue working on balancing my time and pacing myself so I do everything well. Therefore, I just appear average.
I’m implementing a new method where I balance the little things (readings) with the big things (papers), utilize a to-do list in conjunction with time limits of different assignments each day. Hopefully that will work! :)
If anyone has any suggestions with time management and pacing, let me know! You can send me a message through Tumblr.
- Ana Santos
ANA SANTOS – FDDS – GIVE SMART QUESTION #2
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
GIVE SMART – Question #2
Reflect on your long term and short term goals you wrote about for the first blog post you did for Giving 2.0. Have you exceeded, met, or failed your expectations. Explain.
First blog post for Giving 2.0 here.
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Give Smart – Question #1
The shooting at Newtown, Connecticut was a tragedy that warped people’s perception of safety, mental illness and education. All of which are tied to an individual’s personal values and beliefs. The Presidents’ response to this tragedy was that, “We’re not doing enough” and Ann Curry’s response was “26 acts of kindness.”
Describe how Ann Curry’s “26 acts of kindness” ties into philanthropy as well as the books we have read for the program. Describe how self-imposed excellence and avoiding the traps of the unwary can prevent another tragedy such as this.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/18/15999109-if-you-do-good-youll-feel-good-ann-curry-explains-origins-of-26acts-of-kindness?lite
On December 14, 2012, a young man by the name of Adam Lanza fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Before driving to the school, Lanza had shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, at their Newtown home. As first responders arrived, Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. The incident was the second-deadliest school shooting in United States history.
The country was shocked. Then, after a brief moment of stunned silence, the politics began. Some advocated for more security in our schools, others pushed for gun reform. The National Rifle Association of American (NRA) called on Congress to put armed police officers in every American school to protect students. President Obama announced proposals for increased gun control, which included universal background checks on firearms purchases, an assault weapons ban, and limiting magazine capacity to 10 cartridges. Though people call for a change of policy on gun law, some lost sight of what it meant to be constructive and instead for lost in the controversial debate of freedom and security in the United States.
“Imagine if we all committed 20 acts of kindness to honor the lost children of Newtown,” said NBC News National and International Correspondent Ann Curry. Twenty-six acts of kindess would represent every child and adult lost at Newtown that day. Instead of getting back at every political opposition, ordinary Americans would start to pay it forward and start to rebuild again. After posting her message on Facebook and Twitter, Curry was surprised with the response. People pledged to do random acts of kindness to help heal the wounds Newtown causes. She has posted many of the responses here: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/18/15999109-if-you-do-good-youll-feel-good-ann-curry-explains-origins-of-26acts-of-kindness?lite
I know the truth: if you do good, you feel good. It’s the most selfish thing you can do. Right now, this country wants to heal. I think the only thing comforting in the face of a tragedy like this is to do something good with it if you can. Be a part of that wave. – Ann Curry
The most recent book for the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program is “Give Smart: Philanthropy That Gets Results” by Thomas J. Tierney and Joel L. Fleishman. This book aims to educate and motivate people who do all types of giving, to make philanthropists more effective in their charitable giving, and to serve those who serve society. All types of donors, grantees, foundations, leaders, and volunteers will find some part of this book extremely applicable to their giving goals.
You can achieve significantly greater results with the money and time you give away – if you put your mind where your heart inclines you, if you confront the right questions, and if you are willing to try. In those three “ifs” lies the key to unlocking philanthropy’s full potential.
Behind every simple goal is a complicated process. The behind-the-scenes of giving is no different. To make an impact in society, philanthropists need to bridge theory and practice, business and academia, and grant making and grant giving. Tierney and Fleishman explain how giving has become more dynamic and how new techniques are constantly emerging from across the social sector. What hasn’t changed about giving is that it “all philanthropy is personal” and “excellence is self-imposed.”
The best ways of giving smart are by being rigorous, disciplined, and deeply strategic. According to Tierney and Fleishman, philanthropists need to think hard about their giving, bet on talented people, and pay careful attention to results. However, #26acts doesn’t work that way. What is incredible about Curry’s movement is that the acts of kindness aren’t mandatory and there is no immediate, tangible reward for simply “doing good.” In addition, the effects of #26acts is nearly impossible to measure.
If Curry or someone else wanted to expand on #26acts, they would have to clear up the ambiguity and uncertainty of the project, but not lose sight of the purpose and goal of the mission. They would have to make better decisions on fundamental strategy and operations. Making good decisions is especially important when handing large amounts of money. These philanthropists would have to avoid fuzzy-headedness and wishful thinking, flying solo and managing everything on their own, underestimating their potential and underinvesting their project, and neglecting other nonprofits.
Philanthropy almost always involves a fair degree of trial and error, Tierney and Fleishman explain. “By prioritizing thought as well as action – thinking through the relevant with appropriate rigor and discipline – you will reduce the frequency of your errors and make your trials moe valuable.” You can avoid the “traps” of philanthropy and start to perform good that is both measurable and impactful.
- Ana
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Almost Home – Question #2
Using what you learned from Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen’s book, Giving 2.0, identify how the Frederick Douglass Distinguish Scholars program and American University could give strategically to the organizations you researched advocating for youth homelessness. Describe how you would help facilitate a successful philanthropic partnership between one of the organizations you researched and both American University and the Frederick Douglass Distinguish Scholars Program.
The second part of “Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope” by Kevin Ryan and Tina Kelley tells the stories of homeless teen mothers, relationships between homeless teenagers and their mentors, and the overrepresentation of LGBTQ in youth homelessness. Even though it may seem easy to “categorize” into broader categories, each individual has their own set of circumstances, decisions, and obstacles. But we have to understand how each individual fits into the context of their genre in order to be able to efficiently help them help themselves.
Pregnancy and homelessness
The Power of Mentorship
Plight of LGBTQ Homeless Youth
“Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope” offers several suggestions of how people can help, such as by mentoring, support anti-trafficking efforts, supporting the LGBTQ youth, and committing to advocacy work. Volunteers can either commit their time or money by going out into the community or working from their computer. As university students, we tend to “give back” in slightly different ways than adults with different schedules, priorities, and responsibilities do. In previous posts, I discussed what I learned from Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen’s book, Giving 2.0. Even though donating time feels more significant than writing a check, both manners of giving can have quite an impact if the giving is strategic. University students tend to give more with time while most adults tend to give financially.
When you give, you want to make sure you know how your effort impacts the organization. This includes doing research ahead a time, analyzing how the organization you want to donate to operates, and the way the create and measure success. For organizations like the Covenant House, the best was to measure success is to see how many homeless or disadvantaged students approach the organization for help and how many of those youth eventually improve their lives. Another organization I mentioned in a previous post, The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, operates in Washington, DC, and provides Community Care Grants, identifies strategic and affordable housing, provides opportunities for flexible financial assistance for up to 12 months, and mandates supportive services (http://www.community-partnership.org/cp_ip-ccg.phphttp://www.community-partnership.org/cp_ip-ccg.php). Several parts of organization is devoted to homeless youth and the children of homeless families.
A strategy both the Covenant House and the CPPH have in common is giving their subjects classes on essential life skills. The CPPH administers classes on money and household management strategies. If the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program wanted to create a successful philanthropic partnership between themselves and the CPPH, I would suggest the scholars assist with the life skill classes. Teaching skills build confidence, and confidence breeds success. There’s the saying if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day – but if you teach a man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. This is how we can start to stop homelessness, and we have no time to waste.
Ana
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Almost Home – Question #1
Research 1 organization that advocates for youth homelessness and focus on their methods for informing people about the issue. Describe how you can help inform people about those issues as a Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholar. Research a different organization that helps mentor and support youth homeless. Identify successful methods outlined by this organization. Illustrate how you could help support these organizations and the fight against youth homelessness.
One of the themes of the book “Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope” is how the homeless population is perceived as invisible. But when two million people are on the streets every year, those numbers don’t add up to nothing. By turning a blind eye, it’s almost like we’re letting a generation slip through our fingers. By losing children trapped in homelessness, society would lose all the strength they could contribute. Just because we can’t see the people sleeping in alleyways and doorsteps doesn’t mean they don’t exist or mean anything to “greater society” whatsoever.
The Covenant House is a large charity that helps the homeless, runaways, and trafficked children and youth. They claim that about 1300 kids stay at the charity’s shelters in the United States and Canada each night. “Each year Covenant House shelters more than eleven thousand youth, most between sixteen and twenty-one, and it reaches more than fifty-six thousand, including those who are helped by its crisis hotline and outreach vans that search the streets and alleys of dangerous neighborhoods looking for kids in need.”
Some quick facts about homeless youth
Whether homelessness is a choice or not, no one really wants to live on the streets. No matter how hard things may be at home, everyone craves some stability. Facing a night on the streets can feel like an eternity of doubt and uncertainty. I can’t imagine not knowing where I will sleep tonight or where I will get my next meal or not knowing if anyone in the world knows where I am. I can’t even begin to imagine going through what the strong characters in book “Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope” have gone through. This holiday season, many of us should be grateful we have a roof over our heads, loved ones by our sides, and a hopeful future. Be grateful to be one of the lucky ones.
One organization in Washington, D.C. that deals with homelessness is The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (http://www.community-partnership.org/). Homelessness and poverty is a big issue in the capital of the United States. “The Community Partnership is an independent, non-profit corporation that coordinates the District of Columbia’s Continuum of Care on behalf of the city. Through the work of our providers, the D.C. Continuum of Care includes prevention services, street outreach efforts, emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing for individuals and families.” There has been an increase in homeless people in DC from 2008 to 2011, with over three-fourths male and average age 40-50, depending on gender. Many of the homeless people in DC have been formerly institutionalized, are physically disabled, and/or have chronic health problems. Nearly two-thirds of single homeless persons reside in the city’s emergency shelters.
The organization provides Community Care Grants, identifies strategic and affordable housing, provides opportunities for flexible financial assistance for up to 12 months, and mandates supportive services (http://www.community-partnership.org/cp_ip-ccg.php). Here are some more resources for homelessness in DC provided by the CPPH (http://www.community-partnership.org/cp_dr-res.php).
Homelessness isn’t an easy thing to explain or an easy thing to fix. Some youth became homeless because they believed living on the streets was better than facing the abuse at home. Others were kicked out. Others didn’t even have a choice. Homelessness is a problem that needs to be worked out on different levels – financial, social, mental, and emotional. Not every homeless youth is the same. They need guidance at this critical time in their life to get them back on the right track to be the people they want to be. That is why a holistic approach is required to tackle, solve, and eradicate homelessness.
Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars present Hope for the Holidays book drive!
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
GIVING 2.0 – Question #2
Why would someone donate to your cause: Hope For The Holidays, Fotosynthesis, Scholars For Progress and The Support National museum of African American history and culture? Explain. How would you advise that donor to donate? Explain. Please use Chapter 3 and its different recommendations on how to be a strategic philanthropist as a model of good advice.
Hope for the Holidays is a annual book drive put on by students from the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program at American University. For the past two years, the book drive has collected new and gently used books for children ages 5-18 and donated them to a school in Washington, D.C. We’re continuing our working relationship with CentroNía (http://www.centronia.org/), a bilingual charter school in Columbia Heights. So far, we have donated over 850 books to CentroNía, and this year we are aiming to donate over 1000. You should donate to our cause because we are sustained by the donations of so many staff, faculty, and students at American University.
In Giving 2.0, author Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen emphasizes how giving should be consistent with your personal values and priorities. A common form of giving is financial donations. But Hope for the Holidays is made up mostly of college students, so we don’t have that much money to give. So instead, we give in the form of time and volunteering. Some may argue this method of giving is much more satisfactory than simply writing a check. However, both giving financially and time-wise require the giver to be sure to track their impact. At Hope for the Holidays, we have a very simple giving strategy. We collect books on campus and from other donors, count them at the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars office at American University, then personally deliver them to staff, faculty, and students at CentroNía. If we receive any money donations we use them to buy books to add to our total collection.
Of course, no organization can run smoothly without a team of talented and motivated individuals. The Hope for the Holidays team is made up of FDDS juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who have a strong sense of giving and social justice. The Hope for the Holidays team includes Julien Blaney, Candace Evilsizor, Daniel Marks, Nallely Mejia, Udodilim Nnamdi, Stephanie Vela, and Ana Santos (me). We reach out to departments, staff, and faculty at American University and other resources in the DC-metro area in order to have our book drive include as many people as possible. I am so thankful to my team members for donating their time, skills, and expertise.
Someone may ask me why I give and why I spend so much time with Hope for the Holidays. If you saw me on campus – wielding a camera for the school newspaper and yearbook, burying my nose in homework, and interning at different places in DC – you may not have guessed I help run this book drive. Arrillaga-Andreessen wants each of us to recognize why we give and ask ourselves what impact our gifts have on us. What exactly am I getting from giving? How has my life improved?
When I was younger, I was a bit introverted and loved reading. I would read all the time and had a shelf specifically reserved for my favorite books. I became more extroverted over time, but at the beginning of things, it was just me and my favorite authors. I hope Hope for the Holidays can reach out to those kinds of children and inspire and encourage them. Out of one thousand books delivered to one thousand children, which book will inspire a child to achieve greatness? That we can never say. For me, it was “The Girl Who Owned a City” by O. T. Nelson. Many students in my 7th grade class did not appreciate the book, but that book really was the one that made me want to be a leader. And those experiences lead me to where I am now.
So when thinking about how to give to Hope for the Holidays, you need to understan why you give. Sometimes you just have old books in your home you were waiting to get rid of. Maybe you’ve worked as an educator with young children before. Or maybe you give to many organizations and think Hope for the Holidays is another interesting project you could donate to. For any reason you may have, we appreciate your help. Boxes will start being put on campus in early November. Contact me if you want to know of other ways to give. As Arrillaga-Andreessen says, giving presents an opportunity to learn and grow, so giving is also a way of getting. What will you get out of giving to Hope for the Holidays?
Resources Mentioned in this Post
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
GIVING 2.0 – Question #1
In 1,000 words please respond to the following:
What are your short-term (in the next 18 months) and long-term goals for giving and what steps are you taking right now to ensure your success? Are there barriers to your success? If so, are they financial, physical, social/emotional, technical, cultural, and/or political? Please explain. Finally, how can AU support you in achieving your goals for giving?
My short term goals for giving are entirely Hope for the Holidays. That is the one part of my life that can be measured and categorized as “giving.” Hope for the Holidays [http://about.me/hopefortheholidays] is a book drive the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars host once every academic year, in the fall. We collect new or gently used books from around American University’s campus and donate them to a school in Washington, DC. In the past two years FDDS has hosted the book drive, we’ve collected over 900 books for CentroNía, a bilingual charter school in Columbia Heights. I’ve had a large leadership role these both years, but I’m hoping to step down and let the freshmen or sophomores step up and make this project their own. With my other obligations on campus (newspaper, yearbook, classes, etc.), it’s hard for me to balance out responsibilities for this large and important project. Plus, I will be abroad next fall and graduated from American University the next, so I need to teach the next generation the way ASAP.
I don’t do a lot of volunteering in the traditional sense. I don’t normally go out to a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter or an animal hospital. I’ve never done a lot of volunteering – it just hasn’t been a part of my life. Besides Hope for the Holidays, I’ve also volunteered for Women for Women International [http://www.womenforwomen.org/] and FotoWeekDC [http://fotoweekdc.org/]. They were both great experiences that introduced me to DC, taught me skills I probably would have not learned in the classroom, and got my in touch with so many different people. I’ve photographed the American University students participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service [http://www.theeagleonline.com/news/story/mlk-day-of-service-attracts-hundreds-of-au-students/] two years in a row. I know that’s not the same, but it’s the closest I’ve been.
Reading the book Giving 2.0 by Laura Arrillaga-Andresson was a great help, though. Arrillaga-Andresson talks about not only the emotional and psychological benefits of volunteering, but also the smartest way to give. Of course volunteering must be for a good cause, but I have to get something for giving something. As a college student with not a lot of free time in the first place, my main priorities are: is the volunteer location close? Is the work easy? Do I make an impact? Is my impact measurable? Is it in line with what I want to do? If the answers are mostly “no,” then I’m sorry, I can’t be of much service. My top goals are get good grades and get a job after graduation.
My long term goals for giving are still in the works. I want to be a photographer so I probably will not make a lot of money to be the best philanthropist, even though Arrillaga-Andresson says a philanthropist can be anyone who gives money to a cause. However, as Arrillaga-Andresson points out, giving money isn’t the same as giving time and energy. I’d love to volunteer in my community, hopefully to meet more people I live with and get my children involved at an early age. I need to sort out my work life and personal life, then find the perfect volunteering opportunity for me.
AU has a lot of opportunities for volunteering and giving. To name a few:
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Know Better – Question #8
Sentence completion: What I learned most about myself through this summer’s readings is…because…and that makes me feel… Moving forward, I think…
Ana Santos
FDDS Class of 2014
Know Better – Question #6
Robert Greene suggests that “the way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated.” How does your subconscious mind impact your ability to develop relationships? How do your relationships impact how you carry yourself?
