Inauguration Day and a Call to Service

"As I stand here today, what gives me the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surrounds us today, but what fills the spaces in between. It is you -- Americans of every race and region and station who came here because you believe in what this country can be and because you want to help us get there.”

—President Barack Obama, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, January 18, 2009

Our newly sworn in President believes that we, the people of the United States, can make the difference in where our country is and where it will be. I don’t believe that we can make the difference. I know we can.

For the last 17 months, I have served with City Year Greater Philadelphia. I worked in the classrooms of Olney High School in North Philadelphia, keeping underclassmen in school and helping seniors figure out how they would make post-graduation dreams realities. I helped the youngest students at Cooke Elementary School’s after school programs improve their reading and math skills, while hearing from them how they wanted to make a positive difference in their community. On Saturdays with our Young Heroes, I watched as a loud, disorganized group of middle school students became a team dedicated to community service. I’ve been able to take part in these transformations, as well as my own, through City Year.

As just one of the 225 young idealists participating in City Year Greater Philadelphia this year, I have gotten to know people from as far away as Siberia and from the heart of Philadelphia. I’ve worked alongside and learned from G.E.D. candidates and masters’ degree holders. I’ve discussed living on a stipend with someone who had a trust fund and someone who split her stipend with her mother so that they could keep the lights on in their apartment.

It has not been easy. This has been the most challenging thing I have done to date. That being said, it is also the most rewarding thing I have ever had the opportunity to do. City Year is not a program for everyone. It is for the idealistic. It is for those seeking to understand. It is for those looking to change the world. It is for those who want to be part of a nation where people from all different backgrounds can build a stronger community, nation and world for all of us.

To join us in changing the world, one student, one mind at a time, visit us at www.cityyear.org/joincorps

Megan, 24, recruitment senior corps member