The day had finally arrived. Saturday. I had been waiting for the day all week long. It was the day I finally got to meet my “little sib.”
She got off the bus, I called her name, and she walked toward me. As I spent the day with her, eating pizza, talking about our goals in life, and exploring the art museum here on campus, I saw more and more of myself in her. We had shared a lot of the same experiences growing up.
At the end of the day, she hugged me and called me her “big sister.” I love that only after a few hours spent together, this child felt comfortable enough with me to consider me a part of her family.
Participating in the Big Sib program at Princeton has been wonderful, and I’m glad I signed up. The Big Sib program is a program where willing volunteers from Princeton University are paired with underprivileged children from the Princeton area. We meet once a month with our siblings, and, as a freshman, I was paired with a second grader from the area—the idea being that when I graduate from college, the “little sib” will move from elementary to middle school. We will spend the next four years together, meeting once a month. I can honestly say that I’ve been looking forward to being a part of this program for most of my life. Let me tell you why.
In second grade, I was put into the “lunch buddy” program at my school. That meant that every week, once a week, an adult from the community volunteered to come visit students and give them positive stability in their life. I had a handful of these buddies, but each one I still remember vividly. They had such a positive impact on me. I remember that when I got an honorary mention in a writing contest, my “buddy” for the month had it laminated. I still have that award tucked away somewhere at home in storage. I remember how my friends were all so jealous of me because people came to visit every week, and how I secretly enjoyed their jealousy. It was the first time I felt envied. I remember how they all had a true interest in my well-being, and that’s something I’m still ever-grateful for.
At a time when my mom was working two, and sometimes, three jobs simultaneously to make ends meet for me and my three brothers, I didn’t always feel like I got the attention I deserved. That wasn’t anybody’s fault. My mom worked out of necessity and, considering that I was the oldest of four, my brothers weren’t quite able to give me attention in the way I required, either. Having “lunch buddies” that cared for me, and only me, was the best thing my counselor could have done at the time.
I want to pay it forward and give attention to every kid in the world that needs it—but unfortunately, that can’t happen. However, I can work with my “little sib” to give her the same positive experience I once received. I hope that someday, she’ll remember the first day she met me and I hope she is really thankful that someone cared enough about her. That would mean the world to me, because every child deserves to feel that way. Perhaps 11 years from now, she’ll wish to pay it forward, too. That’s exactly how we take steps towards a better Earth, and I’m glad to be a part of that. I urge everyone who has been searching to make an impact to take initiative to join these kinds of programs. They are definitely worth it.
