Everything is Okay - A Real Life Intern's Journey to Purpose

You know that feeling when you’re completely content with where you are?

Sometimes it might be a faraway feeling or right in your face, but nonetheless, that little voice within you says everything is okay. It’s not often that I find this feeling. Though when I do, it silences all doubts and worries about my life path. Real Life awakened this calming feeling for me, and something in my mind just clicked. This is where I am supposed to be. Working with refugee and immigrant student populations is the path I need to take. The passion was there, but everything came into place when I was given a purpose.

Currently, I’m working towards a degree in elementary education, so it seemed perfect when I saw the opportunity to work with Real Life. Little did I know, this experience would show me so much about who I am as a person and what I value in life. It’s funny because I went in with the expectation to teach, but at the end of the day, I was truly a learner. The students would teach me something new every single day. Whether that was the importance of authenticity, how to persevere and celebrate wins despite hard times, or how to play four-square with some awesome moves (still not even close to being as good as them haha). They were patient with me, even on my hard days, and it reminded me that everyone deserves patience and love no matter what they’re going through.

One thing I loved about the students I worked with was that they were

unapologetically themselves. I loved getting to know them and seeing them show up for each other. One of my most favorite things to do is to connect with students, especially if I see that they are struggling. During the first week, one student was having a really rough time. He struggled with following directions, and I thought to myself ‘of course he wouldn’t want to listen to this random stranger who he probably thinks doesn't even care about him.’ But I did care about him, just like I cared about all the students in that room. Once I started showing him that I had genuine interest in who he was, everything changed. We started talking about his hobbies, things he likes, and what he did that day. He started sharing things about his life and who he was as a person. He started getting along with the other students and sharing his wonderful ideas with the class. It was incredible to watch the transformation from him thinking nobody cared about him to seeing that people actually do. Sometimes changing a person’s experience is as simple as asking about their life. It’s showing them they are loved. Then they might realize that they are worth the time and care they deserve. I made it a goal to connect with every student in the program and show them that I want to hear their story and see them for who they are. This took some time and mindfulness, as I had a group of about 30 students, but we eventually got there, and wow, was it worth it. When people felt seen, our group became a community. A team.

As we connected as a team, we saw all the ups and downs. Some days we

would have dance parties, laugh about silly things, make up songs, or create stories. On other days, we would practice empathy, apologize for hurting another, and support each other through panic attacks and worries. We saw these things because we cared about each other and had genuine interest in creating a community. I am so proud of the team we built during Real Life. I will always remember our banana dance and bug spray celebration for “Star Student”, helping a student write his first love letter, listening to the incredible vocal talent in our group, playing Frogger, watching the students learn how to ice skate, and celebrating life by dancing the macarena. I want these students to know they deserve support and happiness, just as much as anyone. I hope our time together encouraged them to find at least a moment where the little voice within them said everything is okay.