In the Philosophy of Andy Warhol he states, “They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” Mr.Warhol’s words are a reminder to me of my similar entelechy. I often speculate what I would scribe if I wrote a “Philosophy of Brittany Evans.” I know I would begin with how I have changed.

The past 10 months have been the most influential months of my life. As a junior project, I left my comfortable upper middle-class home in Illinois and ventured into the depths of the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona. My Native American grandmother welcomed me to the reservation with open arms and a few words of wisdom. There I attended a local impoverished school and I settled in for an adventure. I experienced so much diversity and adversity when I arrived, fighting each day to survive in a new social environment. I discovered so much about myself including; patience, drive, maturity, passion, and a new found sense of hope. Not only did I have to battle racism and other social strife but I was also challenged by the environment. The water ran black, the soil was radioactive, and most of the wildlife was potentially deadly. This experience exposed me to a new way of life engulfed in poverty and surrounded by indifference. Not only the indifference of the community but also the indifference of our government. I discovered that I alone can create change.

My tribe has a tradition of wearing a pouch around our neck, the inside holds soil from the place you feel most at home. Currently, mine holds red clay from the reservation; I am determined to keep my adventures, changes, and lessons alive. At the end of the school year I returned to the affluent world I knew as a different soul. Over the summer I chose to be a residential camp counselor at an Easter Seals camp for people with special needs instead of a normal, mundane teen summer job. It was the most physically and mentally draining endeavor I have ever experienced, yet it was also one of the most rewarding. I know that I had a minute part in making over 850 campers more independent.

As the new school year began I felt an overwhelming need to put what I had learned into action. Our English Department underwent a renovation. As a teacher’s assistant, I helped clean out all unwanted books and magazines. Instead of recycling hundred of unused books I convinced the department that the books could serve a higher purpose in Arizona. This simple act snowballed into an all out book-drive benefiting the school in Arizona. We currently have several boxes of books waiting to be shipped. These books will change the entire community’s educational system and provide resources for teachers and students alike.

If I wrote a “Philosophy of Abella Evans” it would hold the lessons I learned and changes that have happened over the past 10 months. It would hold passages and quotes on maturity, patience, beauty, appreciation, individuality, determination, and above all passion. I trust that it is through passion, ideas, and action that all change and service can occur.