Andrew Freedman
University of California Santa Barbara, Junior
Spiritual Life Coordinator, Spokane 2017
Point Pleasant United Methodist Church
I’m a Junior at UC Santa Barbara where I study Statistics and I’m working to become a financial analyst. I have volunteered with SSP since middle school and through high school for a total of seven summers. These experiences inspired me to be on staff the last two years.
In middle and high school I found that people were always skeptical of what people my age were capable of. People always said I was “just a kid” or “not old enough.” Looking back, I see that it wasn’t me who wasn’t old enough, it was that no one had given me the opportunity.
Sierra Service Project was the exception to this. At SSP I was always reassured that I could do anything I set my mind to. People at SSP were trusting me and my work team with their homes. They trusted us to build them a new deck or ramp to be able to get into their home. We had a lot of responsibility.
SSP teaches people that they can make a difference to others with their actions, words, and their love.
Each week as a volunteer at SSP it was clear the impacts our work had. We watched our projects come to life and some years my work team even finished a project.
The most empowering experience I had was after my team and I finished a new deck and stairs for a lovely woman. This woman was now able to leave the back of her house safely. She explained how she was skeptical of “a bunch of kids building her deck.” It wasn’t until we got started and she saw how dedicated we were when she realized she was wrong to assume.
These lessons I learned at SSP will stick with me for the rest of my life.
SSP teaches people that they can make a difference to others with their actions, words, and their love. These lessons I learned at SSP will stick with me for the rest of my life. Now that I am a young adult, I’ve transferred my SSP participation to staffing. As a staffer I am responsible for instilling the lessons I learned on others. I am excited to be the adult that believes in the potential of youth, because of the impact that belief had on me.
I’m excited to participate in the Leadership Academy because I know how much I will learn. I am excited to expand my skills and learn to reach out to others and help them grow as individuals. This opportunity will allow me to have a positive impact on others, while helping me learn and grow as a person.
Editor’s note: Andrew most recently served on staff in Spokane, WA as a Spiritual Life Coordinator. He is a Leadership Academy fellow and his story is the sixth part of the #mySSPstory series highlighting SSP staff leaders and their stories. Join Andrew and apply for 2018 summer staff!