As we approach the Holidays, especially in a year when we are not surrounded with as many people as usual, the true meaning of gift-giving is something I have been thinking a lot about. There is nothing like giving or receiving a thoughtful gift. What are the most meaningful gifts you have given or received, and what made them so meaningful?
College Guild gives a gift to each of its students that is not all wrapped up with a big bow on top, but one that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. College Guild gives the gift of education. With education, comes many things that those of us who have access to good education take for granted. Critical thinking skills, confidence, and newfound belief in oneself just to name a few.
This letter to College Guild from our student, Blake, highlights a few of the gifts our courses and volunteers gave him:
College Guild,
This is a letter of thanks. Today I received back the first unit of your Creative Language course along with a very in-depth and detailed response to the work I had submitted. I have to tell you how moved I am that your volunteer Andy would be so kind and so thoughtful to take the time to review the work I had submitted. Maybe it is because of the holiday season or maybe it is because I never quite felt good enough as a child to have any confidence, but the pride I feel for having Andy’s compliments and encouragement has brought me to tears. As a 33-year-old adult, I can’t look back and remember feeling this more than a few times ever before.
It seems all too clear now how faulty so much of my own distortions kept opportunity hidden and out of reach for me. Andy’s fine words and supportive language have jolted within me a new sense of joy and self-confidence.
The College Guild is a wonderful program and I count myself extremely fortunate to have been accepted into it. I hope that somehow Andy will know how much this time and insights are appreciated. I want him to know that my little seemingly insignificant life out here in dusty Arizona has been altered for the better because of his kindness and because of the College Guild program. Thank you from your forever grateful student,
Blake
However you celebrate this time of year, whether traditional or nontraditional, College Guild wishes you and your loved ones a safe and merry holiday season.