What, So What?, Now What?

What?
At the community service event I observed people having a lot of fun while being part of something greater than themselves. It was really cool to see so many people from different backgrounds and interests coming together to do silly activities and have fun with them. Everyone in my group was super engaged and determined to be the first to finish. Although we weren't, we still had a ton of fun rolling balls and flinging rubber chickens. Finally, it was really neat to see the kids receive their bikes we made for them. The kid who got our bike rode around in a circle for 20 minutes straight laughing and having the time of his life. 

So What?
I don't know if I necessarily learned a new skill other than how to fling a rubber chicken using a parachute but I did enjoy improving my ability to communicate and work as a team. Teamwork will be an essential part of my future career and is a necessary skill to have in order to work effectively so getting as much practice as I can now will help me tremendously in years to come. The experience was different from what I expected in that it was a lot more engaging and fun. Building a bike for Mott kids would have been pretty cool in itself, but throw in silly challenges and Jimmy John's and that's just awesome! One of the best parts of the event was being able to meet my teammates and learn about them. I didn't realize how many student researchers weren't from UofM so it was cool to ask how different schools in different parts of the country compared to here. 

Now What?
I think the most applicable skill I can take back to my lab is people skills. Being able to talk with people and work with people is one of the most important skills one can have and every opportunity to do so improves those skills. If I could do the group activities again I wouldn't do anything different because those were excellent!