Education is almost universally recognized as the primary means by which one may better themselves and their future. Through rigorous studies we may hone our technical skills and refine our moral understanding of the world. This is, however, an unfortunately short-sighted understanding of education, it also can and should be used to generate a long lasting impact on the student’s community. With this broad view of education we can now explore how a student, namely myself, may make long-lasting positive change in my community, both within and out of the church.

Firstly, my long-term ideal impact on the church. As an altar server in Orthodox Church for over twelve years (at Archangel Michael’s for eight of those), I have been blessed with a truly excellent opportunity to generate meaningful, tangible change within the church. This in itself has two parts, both through my present and future service behind the altar. By serving regularly in the present I hope to not only aid the clergy in making services run smoothly as possible but also serve as an inspiration to the younger altar servers as well. By serving as an example to the youth I can ideally teach them the importance of our position within the church and give them the necessary training to become important contributors to Divine Liturgy in the future. As time progresses I will ideally transition out of my role as an active altar server and into one that will afford me the ability to positively affect the church for decades as a sacristy aid. In this position I will be able to train the next few generations of Altar servers and streamline the ways in which the altar works. All this while maintaining a strong relationship of trust with the clergy as someone that may be depended on for years to come.

Next, my impact in my community through my education. It must be noted first that my status as an Orthodox Christian gives me a uniquely sure footing moving forward. While grounded in faith and augmented by my education I can properly change my community for the better. I am currently pursuing an education in Political Science with particular interest in the sub-fields of data analytics and law. I need not belabor how politically divisive our country is at the current moment, it is something we each are unfortunately intimately aware of. Any action I can take to alleviate this stress out of each and every one of our lives is one that I shall seek to take. Father John in many sermons has mentioned the concept of agape love, which is an unconditional universal love, this is an Orthodox concept which the nation is sorely in need of. By changing the methods by which we elect our officials, from the current first past the post system to a ranked choice voting system, this is a system proven to produce more level headed leaders. Such as Mary Peltola, an Alaska representative and OCA member(the only one in congress), and Lisa Murkowski one of Alaska’s senators, who despite being on opposing political parties, endorsed each other and have maintained good relations with all of their colleagues. These healthy calm relations, which also allowed an OCA member into congress, are only possible through Ranked choice voting, and I would work tirelessly to bring that to the state of Ohio. To inject kindness into the American political system and to improve the conditions of the altar for decades to come, this is how I want to cement my legacy and promote positive change in my community.