Essay 5: Keeping Relationship-Building at the Center

I have worked as a youth pastor, an afterschool program director for middle school and high school youth, and as a resource coordinator for a dropout prevention program in a middle school. In all of these settings, building relationships has been the foundation of everything I did. I wanted to develop a strong connection with youth so they would trust me with their thoughts, their hopes, and, most importantly, their dreams.

The first time I considered working with teenagers, I was still a teenager myself, living in Missouri. I had grown up in a middle-class White family, and I lived with both of my parents. My dad had a steady blue-collar job, and my mom had a college degree. I was a sophomore in high school, and I was a member of my church’s youth group. I had a good relationship with my youth pastor, and at some point, I was thinking about what he did for his job. He played basketball with us. He took us to Six Flags amusement park in St. Louis. He planned events and activities for us, and I thought, “I could do this job!”