Dedications

Today was also our jacket dedication ceremony. 

We didn't actually get to keep the jackets, but we did go around and dedicate our year of service/jackets. We were only given 30-60 seconds, so naturally I could have said more. Because this is my blog I can write as much as I want haha, so 

I dedicate this year of service to...

My mom, Jay Sheppard,  who has been my biggest advocate and does whatever is in her power to ensure that my sisters and I are able to live our lives to the fullest. Through encouraging me, getting to the BISD building at 5am to ensure I go to the school I want, sending me candy grams from "my secret admirer" in the 5th grade to make me feel loved on Valentines Day, drilling spelling words into my head, or packing my car for my drive to Cali filling it with little encouraging post its. My mom is the best ever. And she has instilled in me from the beginning the importance of selfless love and dedicating your life to helping others instead of just worrying about yourself. I would hope that I could encourage and give selfless love to the people I serve this year 1/4 as much as my mom has done for me! 

My dad, Charles Sheppard, who is also the best ever! He has a sense of pride in me that I can feel when I've done something good, whether it's graduate from UT, make a basket after several failed attempts, or order a Shirley Temple to drink. My dad has been my biggest cheerleader and the one person I can always go to when I don't want to talk to anyone else. He always knows what I need and is always able to offer me solid advice! I hope that I can be a cheerleader and a  source of support for the kids I serve just like he has been for me. 

My sister, Andie, who just started her freshman year at Texas State! Many of the kids we serve will go on to high schools where going to college is not the norm like it was in our high school. In fact in many of those high schools, finishing high school isn't even the norm. Becoming an Andie is the goal I have for the students I serve this year. I hope that they too can try their best, believe in themselves, and not give a second thought to anyone who doesn't appreciate their differences. I hope that like Andie these kids will go on to college and experience the adventure and independence she'll experience this year. 

My sister, Maddie, who just started 8th grade! Because I'll be working in either a 7th or 8th grade classroom this year,  I will be serving kids Maddie's same age. Though they will be the same age, Maddie lives a less complicated life than many of the students at Rosa Parks K-8. It's my hope that despite their adversities, they will learn to apply themselves and work hard to achieve their goals like my Maddie has. I hope that I can help give them the support she has, that they may be lacking and that I'll see peices of her as I get to know them. 

My friend, Jess Espinoza, who despite her disability refuses to accept any form of defeat. Her faith in Christ is immeasurable and time and time again she has proved to me that He will NEVER give up on us. I hope to inspire the kids I serve this year half as much as Jess has inspired me in the short 2 years I've known her. I hope they too can look past the bumps in the road with determination and joy in the way she has done. 

All my friends in Austin and in Beaumont and all my family, who have made me who I am. If I had met different people in  school, at church, or in college I wouldn't be who I am today. It takes a village and there is no greater village than mine. I hope and pray that this year I am able to be a part of the village that gives love, support, and laughs like y'all have been for me! 

the kids we won't reach this year, whether at our schools or at schools that don't have City Year. I dedicate my year to the belief that there is more good in this word than evil and the hope that anyone who is looking for the good can find it. 

#MakeBetterHappen

No longer homeless!

I finally have a home!!!!

And I cannot thank Jade, Kelly, Maddie, and Shirley enough for all their hospitality. From the beginning when I didn't know where I would stay they offered me a couch. The first night Kelly and Maddie even gave up there beds for Stephanie and I. Every night since then I've been sleeping on the super comfy air mattress and  hogging their living room. I really don't know what I would have done without them and hope to repay them in many chocolate croissants.

This housing search has been a struggle. In the beginning I had a possible roommate my friend Sarah had helped me find on Craigslist. This girl seemed nice and  it really seemed like the only option. Stephanie went with me to check it out in my first day in Sacramento. This was also the day I learned that the name Jayden can be both a female OR MALE name. He was a very nice guy, but he was 33, a nighttime nurse, and owned the condo. I just wouldn't have felt comfortable living with a total stranger, who was much older than me, a man, quiet, and had a lot of ownership over a space that would be shared.

Needless to say I'm so happy to finally be in my own place!  I'm living with two other people from City Year! And neither one of them are 33 lol. I moved all of my stuff in today and they'll move in on Monday!  I didn't realize until today that  this is the first time since June that I haven't been displaced.  It feels so good to be in my own room! Send me mail!

Home is where the heart is!

It's Root Root Root for your Home team!

Gearing up for the Rosa Parks picnic yesterday!

Today we Crossed the Sacramento bridge to get to the ....

Minor League River Cats game! 

On the walk home I saw a familiar view!  Not quite as awesome as.. 

My home sweet home! 

Texas Love!

Yay today!

Today I'm really happy for three reasons.

A. We got to meet kids today!!!! Our 7th and 8th graders had orientation today! We got to meet some of our students and their parents!
B. Bank of America donated 200 backpacks to support our school today! 

C. We got our official City Year name tags today! :) 

Today was great! Here's to tomorrow! 

Just another manic Monday

Today was good, but I sorta had a case of the Mondays in the beginning. I'm still waiting to finalize my housing stuff. Which is kinda annoying since this is my 8th day living here. However, I am eternally grateful to these girls who have been letting me crash with them. They have been so kind and welcoming to me and if it wasn't for them, I don't know what I would have done.

We were able to introduce our team to the teachers and staff today, so that was exciting! I was also able to help a seventh grade English teacher's classroom. She was awesome! I can't wait until we get paired up with our teachers! It's kinda crazy though, apparently some teachers have already been talking about people they want. We'll basically cycle through all the different classrooms and the get paired up. So between now and then, we have to really have our A game on. We need to be winning over teachers and making sure City Year is seen in a good light! No pressure or anything. lol

Lately I guess for me it's been a lot of waiting. Waiting to meet kids. Waiting to  get to know teachers better. Waiting to get settled in. Waiting for school to start.  <-- Woah, that's definitely not a sentence I ever imagined myself saying.  But I'm so ready to start to begin this journey. And I'm starting to get really pumped for this upcoming school year! I've loved seeing and hearing about everyone's first days and weeks of school, and it'll be cool that that will be me next week :)

Also, can I add that it is 10:40 PM, a time that I now consider staying up late. haha Even my middle school self would have thought anything before 11 was turning in early, what's happening to be? haha

Shine on. 

Sundays

Luke 13:24 Strive to enter by the narrow door...

Today was a very church- filled day! I started my morning by attending a Quaker meeting with my friend Maddie, who went to a Quaker high school founded by William Penn. It was interesting. I enjoyed it. It was really small and there were chairs set up in a like two half circle formation,  the members just go in, find a spot, and the one hour time is used for silent reflection. If someone feels called to say something, they do, then the silent returns  until another person wants to say something or until the hour is up. During my hour I thought about how rare it is that I just sit and reflect and give myself time to pray and tune out the rest of the world. It was nice and everyone was really welcoming.

Though I really enjoyed it, it's not really enough for me. I need to hear the gospel. I need to stand, kneel, and sit. I need to pray as a community. And most importantly I need to receive the Eucharist.  As much as I enjoyed the meeting, I couldn't help but think This is it. In the pamphlet I received about Quakerism it kind of talks down on the sacraments and traditional prayers that are so heavily utilized in the Catholic church.  For me the sacraments and the prayers are what keep my faith alive! They are tools that allow me to stay in relationship with Christ, even when I'm feeling far away.

Today, I wasn't feeling far though! I was able to go to mass at The Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in downtown Sacramento. I posted pictures above! It was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! I really enjoyed the priest's homily as well.  In today's gospel  Jesus tells us to enter through the narrow door. Why? It's much easier to enter through the wider door. But that's just it. We're accustomed to taking the easy way out. Is there a shortcut to heaven, give me the map! Is there an easier way to cook, order out! How can I make Christmas shopping easier, buy everything online! Jesus asks us to enter through the narrow door, through the door that is a little harder to get through. He challenges us to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Him. This was a good message to start my week with. Am I going to take easy routes this week or am I going to challenge myself to be the person Christ is calling me to be?
I'm hoping I'll rise to the occasion, but we'll see!

Also tonight after church I was able to go to a really cute music in the park concert series. There were tons of families and dogs! We had a great time and the weather was absolutely perfect!

Loving the Sac life! 

Pictures from downtown adventures yesterday

It's official and marked by an official building THE CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITOL, which I finally saw, I have been in Sacramento for a full week from today. 

Yesterday we were able to explore downtown a little and I got some cool pictures.

Yay The Capitol and Offical site of City Year Opening day on Sept. 25th

LOVE this sign! Saw it walking down the street!

Somebody, help that man! He's balancing his ladder from a billboard!

Peace. Love. And Other, NO DRUGS :) Be drug free 

I love people

I really love people. I firmly believe there is more good in the world than evil. This belief is reaffirmed almost daily, and this past week it may have been reaffirmed hourly. 

Today was another great day to witness powerful people. Not powerful, like they're big, smart, make the rules, have money, but powerful in the sense that they don't just strive to make things better, they actually take actions to #makebetterhappen. 

In our session yesterday a group of ladies came to talk to us about a home-visit program they developed in 1996.  Basically a couple of moms took notice that schools that incorporated home visits into their programs were preforming at higher levels. These three ladies wanted to bring this idea to the district, and while people were hesitant at first, because of these women and their perseverance  not only did the district support them, but their small idea and plan has gone national. The training they created has been able to serve endless amounts of students, teachers, and families. After at home visits were utilized, there was noticeable improvement across the board. 

We heard personal stories from parents and from teachers. One of them talked about how before the visit, the mother was suffering from getting out of depression,  looking for find a job, and dealing with the affects of abuse. While she wasn't totally open to a teacher coming into her home, after the visit she was able to finally talk to someone,  and get resources. The teacher was able to understand that her student didn't have a lazy mom, rather one that was dealing with problems bigger than herself. In the visits the teacher also discusses with the parents and the student what everyone's dreams and expectations are for the child.These visits aren't for the 'bad' kids or anything in particular. It's just a way for the teachers and parents to build a relationship and work together on the same team for the student. When parents and teachers realize they're working for the same team, things can only go up from there! 

Then today, I helped  a 7th grade English- Language Arts teacher set up her classroom. We were talking to her about our interests and about what she taught, and she mentioned that last year she taught a creative writing class. In her class she told her students that by the end of the year they would be able to publish a book. They thought she was crazy and didn't believe they could do it. She encouraged them, telling them they could and by the end of the year all of her students ( even the ones one a low reading level) were able to publish a book ( either fiction or a collection of poems) and sell it through Amazon.com. The students were overjoyed and proud of the work they had accomplished  Parents, teachers, friends, and City Year staff last year bought their books and the kids were actually able to keep the profits from them! Teachers like her make things better. 

As I'm in this school and in this AMAZING City Year community, I have heard so many inspiring stories. I'm reminded of how INCREDIBLY blessed in my life to have constantly been surrounded by people who work to #makebetterhappen. Whether it's in a school, at church, in the neighborhood, at the grocery store, on the side of the road, or even in my own house, I'm surrounded. I don't know what I did to deserve this life, but I pray that I will bless people in the way that others have blessed me! <3

Yay for wonderful people! 

FOUR PAWS ONE CAUSE

This is my beautiful Rosa Parks fam! 

So, today was my second full day in Sacramento, and I have to say I'm really glad I'm here! I love this team and I love City Year. I love the way the staff at the school has been responding to us being there as well! I feel that I am constantly surrounded by people who are willing to go the extra mile for people. For example, one of the assistant principles today was talking to us about how he used to try and say Buenos Dias to his Spanish speaking students to let them know he cared about their culture. When he was doing this, other students were annoyed that he was only giving this special attention to those students, so since then this principle has learned greetings in German, French, Miao, Panjabi, and Chinese. We need more people like this in our world.

Our Rosa Parks school is going through a big transformation. Last year it served as a 7-8 middle school, but this year as a result of low funding, budget cuts, and low enrollment the elementary school is merging in, making Rosa Parks a K-8 school as of September 2nd. There is a lot to be done to make a transformation like this a success. For now, many of the teachers have been in training doing different things, so my team's focus has been on creating goals, team building, creating plans, and doing what we can to help. Our team's mission statement for this year is: 

As leaders, we have the responsibility to empower and build a stronger community that will serve as a catalyst for positive change while establishing a legacy of success.  

I'm really excited to start meeting teachers and kids! And today we got to make cards to be sent out to all the different City Year sites in our area and the nation! That was wonderful! I love making cards! 

Can you guess one of the ones I made? ;)
I spy a lone star!

Still looking for housing, but I think I'll have somewhere by the end of the week!

Peace!

If you're going to San Francisco

Some awesome pictures from Stephanie and my day in San Francisco!

If only you could have been there to hear my excitement! 

at the America's Cup in San Francisco!  Check it out as the sailboats skim above the water

Just a regular street in downtown San Fran! Love how unique they all are! 

California dreamin'

Yes, that dog is indeed wearing a life jacket.  

So long, farewell!

This morning was bittersweet as I dropped Stephanie off at the airport. I tried to delay our departure by bringing her to the wrong airport lol but we ended up finding the right one. I seriously don't know what I would have done without Stephanie on this road-trip! I am forever grateful for her! 

We had many adventures in our five days together, listening to the audio of Bossy Pants, by Tina Fey, driving through deserts, GOING ACROSS THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE (as you can tell I'm still really excited) , Trader Joe's adventures, hiking up a mountain, establishing a fort, the many nights at Econolodges, gourmet breakfasts :), delicious new and yummy food, no traffic, lots of traffic, directions, puppy dogs, chocolate covered pomegranate seeds and most importantly making high quality music videos I will share with all of you now: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJkVPfm2YwY&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjqO0wcW8U8&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc5z9MS0fxM&feature=youtu.be

Anyways, it was a fabulous time and I am so blessed to have this girl in my life. As it saddens me to bid "see you laters" to all the ones I love, I'm excited for both mine and everyone else's next adventures! It's up to us to change the world and WE CAN DO IT!

Love to my homies!

Life is a highway and we're gonna ride it all day long!

Preview of what's to come!

Here's a sample from today's drive! Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/CjqO0wcW8U8

last days in Beaumont

When I say this has all been a whirlwind, I do not mean that lightly lol. My time in Beaumont was fun, busy, rushed, full, and bittersweet. I was able to see people I loved and my friend Danielle even came all the way from Houston to see me off.

I will never know what I did to deserve such WONDERFUL friends. Everyone has given me nothing but help, love, and support since I decided to join the City Year team. And saying "see you later" to these people hasn't been what I would call a picnic.

Bidding farewell to my family was not easy either. I wish I could have stuck around a little bit longer, but such is life.

One last snuggle with my Scooby! 

Maddie made me a HUGE delicious omelet before I left 

Got to see my Gran and Gage and Scout!

I got all my sistas with me! And my mom too!

Last days in ATX

 Leaving Austin was bittersweet, but I was able to soak in a lot of seeing people and fun times in Austin before the BIG move! 

Friday I woke up to see my friends Katie, Theresa, Grace, and Alaina off before they left for Colorado. I was able to see my favorite cousin, Bonnie, my "fairy Godmother", my Capernaum girlies, and my UCC friends, Albert, Bryan, Savanna, Shannon, and Chris. I ate at some of my favorite places, Central Market and Kerbey Lane. And was able to go do some of my favorite things in Austin, which included ROLLING DOWN THE HILL AT THE CAPITOL, one of my all time favorite things to do! We also went to see the bats (which never made their way from under the bridge, haha). I got to ride on Chris's motorcycle for the first time, we went night swimming at Barton Springs, and we ended the night with some delicious P-Terry's shakes! My sweet friend Savanna sheltered Andie and I for the night and made my last night in Austin one of my best!

Saturday was wonderful as well! I had breakfast with my dear friend Maddie at Hillside Farmacy, which was great because I've been meaning to go there! We had such a wonderful visit! Then, I met up with Jamie, Somer, and Elizabeth at Starbucks. I had to see Jess the Best before I left so I made my way to Georgetown before going back to my old house to pick up some last minute things and bid farewell to Sydni and Jenna. Andie and I set off for Beaumont, where fresh fajitas, home videos, and a sweet family was ready to greet us at the door. Definitly tried to pack in as much as I could in 24 hours. It's crazy how fast this is all happening! And it's hard because I want to see everyone before I leave, but I also know that I won't be able to. It'll be strange not seeing my favorite people everyday next year, especially since everyone has given me nothing but love and support this past year.  I'll do my best to make you all proud! It's been a whirlwind for sure, but I'm excited for what's next!

I feel the need to better explain what I'm going to be doing in Sacramento. Here is a link about City Year, http://www.cityyear.org/sacramento.aspx. City Year is a program that sets out to bridge the education gap between high and low income students. Research has shown that students who progress to 10th grade with their peers are four times more likely to graduate than students who fall behind. City Year sets out to ensure that 80% of students in the high-need, public schools City Year serves, reach 10th grade on track and on time.
My schedule might look something like this:

6:00 am - Wake up and prepare for the day.

6:45 am - Travel to school.

7:30 am - Corps member team arrives and greet students as they enter school.

8:00 am - Participate in attendance and tardiness initiatives at school, including phone calls home when children are absent.

9:00 am - Provide small group and one-on-one academic tutoring in the classroom.

10:00 am - Break

10:15 am - Provide small group and one-on-one academic tutoring in the classroom.

11:45 am - Lunch and facilitate lunchtime enrichment activities, such as playing sports or learning about food from different cultures.

12:15 pm - Team meeting, training or prep work.

1:15 pm - Provide small group and one-on-one academic tutoring in the classroom.

2:30 pm - End school day with children in classroom and walk them to City Year after-school program.

2:45 pm - City Year after-school program: 1 hour of homework help and 1 hour of enriching lesson plan, such as planning a service project around a social justice issue like poverty or the environment.

5:15 pm - Debrief with team.

5:30 pm - Break at school. Head home or occasionally into City Year's downtown office if the team needs to prep for an upcoming event or service day. 

Also there is a uniform. Yep. A uniform. But I'm actually excited about it! The uniform unifies our team and let's kids know we are with City Year and that if we have the bright yellow jacket on we can be best friends! ( I'm hoping that's what they think). Anyways, I know it will be challenging, but I am SO excited to get started!

 Ta-Ta for now. :)

This is real.

Hello Friends! Yep. This is real. I'm actually moving in one week. It's going to be crazy, but I'm excited  to get started on this next adventure!

So, I graduated from UT in May and while making my after undergrad plans, I considered a lot of different options. I felt strongly about taking some time in between my undergrad and getting my masters, but I seriously didn't know what to fill that gap year with. I thought about several different options and programs, but I felt so unsure. I never would have thought I would be someone who graduated with absolutely no concrete plan. But I did haha. The past few months of summer have been a whirlwind of busyness, which was a good distraction from not having future plans. However, after my week in Colorado with my Favorite Capernaum friends, my life took a quick turn!

These are my Capernaum friends and I in Colorado

I think I had been so overwhelmed and nervous about my next step, that I couldn't take it. It's like I kept thinking Okay, God when are you going to tell me what's next. I literally moved out of my house the weekend I got back, and my plan was to just "backpack through Austin until I figured it all out". God had a different plan for me. My friend Christina suggested I look into a program called City Year, this was seriously last Tuesday, and in the past week and a half I've called, applied, had two phone interviews and accepted a position as a City Year Corps team member with the Sacramento, California team! It's sort of ridiculous how soon it's happened! 

Today will be my last day in Austin. As  I think about all my WONDERFUL friends and family here, I begin to wonder, what's wrong with just backpacking through Austin again? But I know that God has big plans for me in Sacramento, and I'm excited to see what they are! I know this next year will bring with it it's fair share of joys and challenges and I'm stoked! I have never moved somewhere where I know absolutely no one. I have to try to find a place to live within a week! Some might say this is scary! I would agree! But it's an adventure! 

It's going to be really hard saying goodbye to all my friends in Austin, but it's really not goodbye, it's just see you later! I hope if you're reading this blog you know that I love you, yes you, very much! There are so many people I care about here and I'm going to miss y'all more than either of us know! Don't forget about me just cause I live in California! Come visit me! Skype with me! Read this blog!