Name: Carolyn Stone
Age: 21
Hometown: Carrollton, TX
School: Austin College
Major/Minor: Sociology and Psychology
Site/s where you have served: ELMWOOD!
Q: Why did you want to serve full-time as a PT intern?
My freshmen year my RA was an intern for PT, loved it, and told me a ton of stories. I knew right away that this was something that I wanted to get involved in. Working in an underserved community I felt that I could really give back to the community, I love kids and was excited by the opportunities that PT could provide. Living in community with other interns and nightly dinners also sounded like a wonderful opportunity to build relationships with others my age.
Q: What is the most important lesson you have learned from working with underserved children/youth?
A little bit of love goes a long way. Treating others with respect, as human beings and as creatures of God is something that can really have a huge impact. It impacts how effective you are as a role model, your relationships, how you solve problems and conflict, and how you think about the world.
Q: How has PT affected your faith journey?
I was/am being raised Catholic but before PT I was at a point where I felt like I just didn’t want to think about God. I resented going to church with my family a little bit because it didn’t feel quite right. PT taught me that it’s okay to question things sometimes, we all do, and that it is okay to worship in different ways. I really liked weekly worships with the interns and loved the experience of being a part of a Methodist church (my site). Now I don’t resent church with my family so much because I know different people worship differently and that I can take what I’d like from each Mass. I know my faith journey isn’t over and I know there’s more out there for me.
Q: How has your experience with PT helped you to better understand your gifts and your calling?
More than anything PT has taught me to do what I love. Listen to what my heart tells me I should be doing and don’t get frustrated when things don’t turn out the way you expect them too. It’s all a part of God’s plan but I have to listen and not give up. No one wants to have to worry about money in the future but more importantly I don’t want to have a job that I get nothing from. Regardless of how low or high paying my job is in the future I know that I can happily live with what I have. The most important thing is that I use my gifts to help others. I think often about the idea that my calling is where my strengths and gifts meet the world’s greatest need. I do my best to be reflective on my life trying to figure out where exactly that point is.
Q: What is your favorite part of the Project Transformation experience?
Being with the kids. I was the photographer for my site and have probably over 2,000 pictures of the kids on m computer. Just before my computer goes to sleep it goes through a slide show of pictures and I always find myself sitting and watching thinking about the kids. I see myself in pictures with them- I look so happy and for a split second go back to a day at Elmwood in the arts and crafts room or the hot gym and remember what it felt like to be there. I miss the kids SO much and I imagine myself going back…reaching down to wrap my arms around Halbert, giving Nino another piggy back ride, or losing to Steven in soccer again. We try so hard to have a positive impact on these and while we’re told that we have no idea what we will learn from them, we underestimate it nonetheless.
Q: What are your future vocational plans and how has PT helped to shape or clarify those plans?
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do before PT but now I am 100% sure that I want to apply for Teach for America. I had an idea that it was something I might want to try and do but after PT I know not only that I can and love working in underserved communities but also that it’s something I am good at. I want to impact kids like the kids at Elmwood for the rest of my life. I believe in education as an equalizer and feel that it might be the perfect meeting place for me to make a difference. I know that TFA is very competitive, if it’s something that doesn’t work out maybe it’s not exactly how I’m supposed to find my calling but I think and feel I’m at least on the right track so far.
Q: What have you learned from living with other young adults in such a diverse Christian community?
Living in community I made friends with people who I feel I never would have anywhere else. Although I don’t talk consistently with them, I often think about some of the friends I made there and pray for them. From living in a Christian community I learned to trust others, I’d never lived in a community where I felt so respected by other people.
Q: What is the most important thing you will take away from serving through Project Transformation?
I think PT has made me think differently about the world and affects me all the time in my daily routine. I’m not really sure how it changes what I think but I know it changes how I act. It’s kind of like this: I want to have the PT aura around me all the time- that’s the first impression I want to give to and how I want to impact others. Of course, they have no idea what PT is exactly but I use what I learned there to try and spread aura around to the people around me, my school, my community and everywhere I go.
Q: What advice would you give to a young adult who is interested in serving as a PT intern?
DO IT! The things you gain from this experience are priceless, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity with endless reasons why you shouldn’t apply. I would tell them that it’s would be a wonderful summer filled with happy moments, sad moments, friendships, and memories to last a lifetime.