Blog 18: The Product

So far, the best definition of my product from the senior project has to be my newly acquired ability to be able to look at each individual I come into contact with, and not judge them by what I know about them and/or their past, but allow them a clean slate in my mind. In other words, when most people think about HIV+ patients in a drug rehab facility, it is customary to immediately think down upon them. This is nobody's fault, it's simply how society has groomed us to behave. Being able to overcome this in my mind is something that I have hoped for since the first day I looked into studying this topic, as I knew it would give be the best insight into how I can help these people turn their lives around. Now, when I walk into the rehabilitation centers to do service learning, I subconsciously take on the same mindset that comes with waking into the grocery store or college classroom - these people are just like me, and they each have something new to offer, all they need is a chance. 


Obviously, it is difficult to provide evidence that supports something like this. Honestly, I feel as though my many hours volunteering at Straight Talk Counseling, Inc. should show that I am in a setting that leaves me comfortable enough to come back for more.