A rewarding VISTA moment

Earlier this week, I returned to New England from a trip I took with my family to Mexico for my cousin's wedding. While I was away, my videojournalism club at Cambridge Educational Access was supposed to produce the fourth episode of their recently inaugurated newscast, Youth View Cambridge. Now, don't get me wrong -- I wanted very much for the newscast to take place without me (capacity-building!), but when I heard that it didn't, it reminded me that at least I was truly an integral part of the organization. However, I wasn't feeling warm & fuzzy yet; no, it wasn't until we were short an anchor for the show and 16-year old Fredeline came prancing in after-school:

"Fredeline, are you anchoring?" I asked as I exited the studio and approached her. But she didn't hear my question, or at least she didn't respond to it. Instead, her face broke out into a huge grin: "JULIE! You're back!!!!"

We hugged, and she kept talking excitedly: "Betty said you emailed her and I said 'No, Julie's in Mexico!'"

I explained that I had gotten back the day before.

"The show fell apart without you here. We need you!" Fredeline said, or something to that effect.

And I think I'll replay that moment for awhile, a) because it was awesome, and b) to remind me that by this time next year, someone else should be in my role, hearing those same words. (And props to Fredeline, who wasn't planning to anchor that day, but came through for us because we needed her.)

View some of the first episodes of YVC online at www.cpsd.us/ceatv/yvc.htm

Comment from Morgan Sully on December 7, 2007 - 2:52pm

Yay!
feeling needed is certainly an important part of being a VISTA.

rock on!

m