Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘what are you doing for others?’” On Monday, 14 students woke up early to give their time to a local Philadelphia middle school, Middle Years Alternative. The students participated through community outreach organization Upward Bound and Penn’s College Achievement program, PENNCAP, which helps students from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds succeed in college. It also provides opportunities for students to work as a positive force in the Philadelphia community.
College freshman and event participant Elaina Joseph explained the motivation behind the event. “It was to help find the identity of the school and build morale for the students,” she said. The school building appears old and slightly outdated, so PENNCAP students tried to spruce it up with inspirational posters.
The students helped reorganize the cluttered library and donated old books to charity. Last year, the group painted the lockers in the school. PENNCAP members worked side by side with middle school students and parents from Middle Years Alternative and college students from other Philadelphia schools.
“It was really rewarding because it’s not easy getting up at 7 a.m. on a day off, getting on a bus and going to do a service project,” Joseph said, “but seeing everyone there and the community working together made up for all that.”
Other PENNCAP students who attended the event shared a similar sentiment on social media. Many of the students agreed that their actions may have been small, but they still acted as a positive influence in the community.
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