A surprising volunteer interview

 I had scheduled a volunteer interview with Claire, a student from Saint Margaret's who expressed interest in starting a STEM program at Unidos but hadn't heard much about our organization. Unfortunately, I mistyped our address in the email, leading her to one of our neighbor's homes instead. Fortunately, the neighbors kindly redirected Claire and her mother to our casa. Upon arrival, she expressed gratitude to the neighbor and was impressed by the neighborhood's connection to our organization.

Before I could apologize for the mix-up, Yeralda and Josimar, two seventh grade neighbors, hurried past us into Casa Unidos. I explained to them that I was about to conduct a volunteer interview, and they quickly ran to the kitchen for a snack, a drink, and a chair before joining us.

Our interview evolved into a panel discussion, with Yeralda sitting directly in front of Claire and firing off questions; “So where do you go? Wait, what's your name? Why do you want to help us? Who sent you?” Claire handled the interrogation with grace, answering each question. It was a pleasant surprise for both her and me.

After the interview, Claire met her mom at the crosswalk, while Yeralda, Josimar, and I gathered to debrief. We concluded that Claire would be welcome to return and agreed that Yeralda and Josimar should participate in more volunteer interviews. As I walked home yesterday, I couldn’t help but realize that Claire has been given the best introduction to our neighborhood.

- Ester Ocampo

Volunteer Coodinator