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Sample 1: “A Sandwich Task”

As soon as I put on the clear gloves, I became enveloped in an overwhelming sensation. My hands began to sweat and feel sticky. I had barely picked up the bread and assembled the ingredients when the announcement from earlier replayed in my head ̈Our goal for today is to make 500 sandwiches or more! ̈ the spokesperson announced. Five hundred! Impossible, I thought. We only had a small amount of time. All the volunteers were required to have prepared the sandwiches for lunch by noon. I looked around me in the large venue filled with even larger circle tables that served as stations. All these tables contained ingredients to make endless sandwiches. Seeing the stations, other volunteers became giddy with excitement. I, on the other hand, was not. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the seemingly unattainable goal, other volunteers were feeling rather optimistic about the oncoming challenge.

Regret overwhelmed me at that moment. I had not volunteered for a challenge. I had only assumed we would make a few sandwiches! In the meeting for the Lulac club, the club president only informed us about a volunteering opportunity held at a venue. I didn’t ask for further details about the volunteering opportunity, since it would be helpful for us to earn the hours we needed to get a custom graduation sash by senior year. Lulac had been one of my first clubs to join, and the sash would be proof of that. I didn’t have many hours to begin with, leaving me no choice but to volunteer. It wasn’t like I minded volunteering, at least not before I knew about the daunting task.

The aroma of coffee blended with the unpleasant odor of turkey, bacon, and ham filled the spacious venue. So many types of breads and meats! I thought as the spokesperson announced, “We have provided the ingredients, now you can all choose any table and prepare the sandwiches there!” Upon hearing the announcement, the volunteers excitedly rushed towards the stations. Meanwhile, I turned to the club president to ask her, “Can we really make 500 sandwiches?” Turning to face me, the club president encouragingly replied, “There are so many other volunteers here too. I’m sure we can make five hundred sandwiches” Doubting her response I looked around, and saw volunteers from different schools and organizations quickly preparing sandwiches.

“You’re right, I’ll go, pick a table, and help, ̈ I mumbled, feeling exasperated, I made my way toward a small group of teenage girls surrounding a table. They smiled and greeted me in a friendly manner. I then politely asked them if I could join them, and they agreed. One girl handed me a pair of gloves, and as soon as I put on the clear gloves, an overwhelming sensation enveloped me. Seeing all those ingredients made me discouraged. Despite this, I picked up the bread and assembled the ingredients to construct my first sandwich. The whole process of assembling was futile. Would there even be enough ingredients to reach our goal? Ready to succumb to the doubt that clouded over me. I observed the volunteers in my station and others working diligently together with no concern. Encouraged, I decided to at least contribute to our goal. After assembling my first sandwich, I realized I wanted to challenge myself further. It had taken me a while to recognize that I wasn’t alone because the other volunteers were also working to contribute to our goal.

After a while, my group became more efficient. We started making sandwiches one after another until there were stacks of them. By noon, all the tables contained stacks of sandwiches. We had run out of both ingredients and time by then. Feeling unsure about our progress, I asked a girl near me, “Do you think we reached our goal?” She only smiled and replied, “It seems like it”

At that moment, the spokesperson took the microphone and said, “Excuse me, can I have your attention, everyone?!” An unspoken silence filled the whole venue, and while tension eased among the volunteers, an apprehensive feeling took over me. Oblivious to the sudden mood change, the spokesperson continued, saying, “We have run out of time, but we have made nearly 800 sandwiches!” Cheers instantly erupted from all tables. A sense of pride filled me then. All our work had pushed us to our goal, but the shame still lingered, for I had doubted our abilities to reach our goal.

The excellent news had put us all in a jovial mood, and when the spokesperson instructed us to hand out the sandwiches outside to the homeless people in line, we didn’t mind. Instead of giving out all sandwiches, some would be distributed to homeless shelters. I understood then the reason for our demanding task of making so many sandwiches. Looking out the windows of the venue, it surprised me that people were waiting for us, and once again, I felt ashamed for doubting our abilities as volunteers.

As we stepped out, we were given baskets filled with sack lunches we had prepared earlier. All morning, we worked to make lunches. Standing outside now, I wondered if the people in line had been waiting all morning to receive food. As we distributed the meals, the homeless people’s overwhelming gratitude brought smiles to all our faces. The homeless people in line thanked us repeatedly for our act of kindness, never losing hope that there would not be enough food for everyone.

From the start, I had initially felt overwhelmed by the goal. Yet we had managed to surpass our daunting task and helped our community. Only now do I understand the everlasting impact we had made on each other. It’s become apparent to me that growth and progress often come from pushing ourselves relentlessly in life, empowering us to reach our goals and aspirations. Instead of avoiding the continuous challenges we face, we should all strive to surpass the limits we impose on ourselves.