A participant shares how he found meaning that mattered through his internship

Here’s a really cool example of finding something within you and offering it to the world:
This student came to us really thirsty to find meaning and purpose but was really struggling to find it. He describes the process of finding something within him that he could offer the world around him in the following way:

Student: "I met these health professionals who visit people with disabilities in their homes. We visited a couple of these homes and I noticed their houses were not very accommodating to their disability. It occurred to me that I could do something about that. So I was helped connect with someone who knows a lot about construction, don Kike, who worked with me on simple projects like building railings and ramps in these people’s homes. Just getting into those houses…people chip in, neighbors come over…it’s small projects. I don’t know if they mean a lot to other people, but they definitely mean a lot to me.”

This student also washed cars to raise funds for the materials he used, and managed to fund them almost entirely on his own, which I believe added a sense of ownership and empowerment to the experience.

"I personally found this project profoundly meaningful and moving, but I also happen to know that it was tremendously touching to the families." He and I visited some of the families after the project. One of them in particular, the mother with the son in the wheelchair in the picture. She was so grateful, moved to tears to see our student, asking repeatedly when she’d see him again. You know, I think she was thankful for the ramp he built, but I got the sense that she was more grateful that he had shown care for her and her son, she was grateful that he had played Legos with her son and valued him as a person. 

I don’t think this young man is going to go on to work in construction or washing cars; that’s not necessarily what he found within him. I think he found that taking initiative to help the world around him motivates him and gives him energy. I imagine that will become a central part of his identity.