In my first few days at Central, the majority of the conversations that I had were centered around what the students wanted to be when they grew up, and how they wanted to get there. A couple of the students I spoke with had no idea at all what they wanted to do, and even if they did, they didn't know how to get there.

My conversations always began in a similar fashion. I would simply ask, what do you wanna be when you grow up. When I spoke with one student, he simply didn't know. However, this was not a barrier to our conversation, as we continued to speak about classes, hobbies, and interests. Eventually, I gained knowledge that he loved video games, liked drawing characters, enjoyed creating new characters, and had enjoyed his brief experience in a graphic design class. With that knowledge, he realized that he is interested in a career in design, and we then discussed further options and steps to reach that goal.

Another conversation that stood out to me was with a student who gave great detail about his life. Without sharing too much, out of respect for the individual, he went through some struggles in his early life with health related issues, and recently had to deal with the passing of a family member. However, what struck me the most was the passion that this student still had to serve his community and help other people, even after all he had personally been through. Overall, these conversations were some of the most meaningful moments of the trip for me.

The time I experienced at Central High school was having different conversations with students. I tried putting myself in their shoes. If I was suddenly put with a stranger who looked nothing like me I would just close off. One of my goals was to make the atmosphere as comfortable as I could. I would start off by asking if they had any questions. When they would say no I asked them if I could ask them questions. They nodded, not sure what to expect. The first question I asked was if water is wet. Immediately I would some sort of response, either they laugh or say “oh you’re one of those people.” After that, I continued the conversation by asking them what are some hobbies they have.

A student that I talked to lit up when he was talking about playing football. He told me that after high school he wants to be able to play in college. With college now in mind, he asked a bunch of questions. How is dorm life? Would I be able to pick my classes? How do to get a job on campus? The student wanted to know. With each response I would give him, he would have more questions. As the hour went by, he asked if he could have my email address to continue the conversation. He was even considering the University of Iowa as one of his options. Another student that I talked to was quite. She would respond with short answers. I asked about her hobbies and she told me she had none and that she would just go home to be with her dog. That is when I was able to get to know the person she is. She then told me that she hopes to go to college to become a nurse. These conversations made me realize that these students are passionate about what lies ahead of them.