An Unlikely Fairy Tale

by Jeanne Kelber & & Janel Bituin at Youth Policy Institute, California

 

 

"We need the people around us.
In order to do anything meaningful
or worthwhile you can’t go it alone."

In our time as VISTA’s we have basically become a single entity. The hours we put in together, the problems we have to solve together, and the stressors we have to overcome together have only brought us closer together. We pretty much hit the partner jackpot and are leaving this experience with not only valuable skills and life lessons, but meaningful friendships. 

As cheesy as that sounds, we realized, in thinking about our monthly story, that this was the angle. Talking about what we learned and where we want our lives to take us only confirmed what we already know: we’ve basically become one person. We can finish each others sentences, we’re great at high-fiving without looking (or at least making progress), and we know how to get things done and what needs to get done without even needing to talk about it.

This brings us to the idea of TEAMWORK. This, in our opinion, yes our opinion, is one of the most important skills that we will take with us when we are forced to part. We need the people around us. In order to do anything meaningful or worthwhile you can’t go it alone. You need support and you can’t be afraid to accept said support. Building this kind of environment and dynamic is much easier said than done. How we achieved this, we believe, encompasses all of the most valuable skills and life lessons we acquired this year: loyalty, the ability to build trust, working with others, knowing your own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of the people around you, prioritizing, diligent and hardworking attitude, positivity, and so many more.

This is our love story, and we are excited to take everything we’ve learned with us as we move to the next chapter of our fairytale. All of you know what this job takes, which means you also know that this is not what a fairy tale looks like but we prefer to think of it this way. Along the same lines, grad school and job-hunting are not exactly cinderella material, but that’s the plan! Janel wants to work towards marine conservation and research and Jeanne wants to try out event planning before ultimately heading to grad school for social work. We are so grateful for our twisted and wonderful fairy tale!