My Involvement at the University of Nebraska Kearney

I am a hard working person who wants to transform unpredictable barriers into stepping-

stones to success. My name is Odwuar Odair Quiñonez Rodriguez, I am a freshman at the

University of Nebraska Kearney. I am majoring in 7-12 Grade Modern Languages with an

Emphasis in Spanish and an Endorsement in Theater. My involvement at UNK and community

contributions are preparing me for my future career.

Last semester, I volunteer at a Mother Hull Home where I visited a patient every week.

The first day that I met the resident that I was going to be visiting, I felt a warm feeling on my

heart because she reminded of my grandma, who passed away ten years ago. The resident was 91

years old and she had a brain tumor, hearing and spine problems. The following week I went to

the nursing home, I took flowers to the resident. I still have the picture in my head of her huge

smile on her face when she saw the flowers. I remember that when she would see a nurse walk

by her door, she would called them and would say with excitement “Look! Look! He is my new

friend, he comes to visit me!” Sometimes, I would go during lunch time to the nursing home to

make sure she ate her food because she did not like eating. Accompanying her during lunch was

a good idea because she improved each week. Visiting the resident taught me patience and

listening skills. One afternoon, I received a call from one of the nurses from Mother Hull Home

telling me a sad news that my resident had passed away. I started to cry because I got so close to

her that I loved her as my grandma. My volunteer work with the Mother Hull Home taught me

that I can make a difference in someone’s life just as they can make a difference in mine.

As a student at UNK my goal is to be involved in many organizations to help me grow

more as an individual. I am currently involved in Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference, Loper

Programing Activities Council, Collegiate Leadership Development Program, Phi Delta Theta

and Hispanic Student Association. My campus involvement with the Collegiate Leadership

Development Program has taught me leadership skills and develop professional etiquette to

succeed as a UNK student and future professions. While being in the Hispanic Student

Association, it is helping me practice my Spanish skills to help me become a great Spanish

teacher in the future. Joining Phi Delta Theta has taught me companionship because I have met

many new people. Also, it has helped me improve my academics because now I do more study

hours than what I used to do to get excellent grades. Joining numerous of different organizations

on campus will prepare me for my future career.

I want to become a strong leader with a powerful presence; a leader who can make a

difference. No barrier can hold me back because I will always be stepping forward. Someday, I

want to teach students with a passion because I want to guide them to the right direction. I want

to succeed in life because I want to give my mom and sister a better future. With my hard work

and dedication I will accomplish my dreams and goals!

Schedule