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Kelsey R. Soriano
December 02, 2011
Community Service Reflection (Fall 2011)
This semester I decided to coach a basketball team with my roommate Tia
Perreira and her father Denny Perreira. We coached two different teams for the Kailua
Community Basketball League (KCBL). The first team was ages 7 10, division 3, and
the second team was ages 11 14, division 2. Through this job as a coach I realized a
lot about myself, how beneficial, and how rewarding it can be when working with
younger children in our communities.
In past reflections I have expressed my desire to be a first grade elementary
school teacher on Maui, hopefully in my near future. Through different community
service programs that I have participated in, I realize these great benefits that I will soon
cherish. Working with children was a great experience in itself. The beauty of working
and partnering up with children result in the amount of joy they receive from the smallest
actions. As a coach, I first hand got to observe how appreciative and willing to learn a
child can be. Children, especially younger children are very delicate and sensitive. Ive
learned that it is not always best to get your point across through yelling and anger.
That sometimes to accurately get your point across whether it is in a classroom or on
the basketball court is by speaking to children with respect and authority as if they are
adults themselves.
Throughout the community there are various programs and services that is
provided to benefit individuals as well as the society as whole. Personally, I enjoy doing

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community service because of the feeling of satisfaction and pride you feel afterwards.
Its the same feeling you feel during Christmas time. That feeling when your mom opens
up the Christmas present you got for her and you see as tears begin to swell up in her
eyes, not because of sadness but because of happiness. Its that feeling you get when
you know you have done something, no matter how big or how small it is, to provide
happiness in another individuals life rather than your own.
Other then the amazing feelings that dwell within you once you have provided
service for a program or an individual, it is also the feeling of giving back to the
community that has helped shape you into the person you are today. Growing up in
Hawaii, we all know one another: aunties, to coaches, to teachers, everyone is family.
When you grow up in such a tight-knit society it is inevitable to want to provide the same
amount of help, support, and happiness that was provided to you while growing up.
Giving back to the community is not a necessity but it is our responsibility. As the
current generation it is our responsibility to give back to both our elder generations, as
well as our younger generations. We must live by an example and guide our children
down the right paths for their futures and the future of Hawaii.
Next semester, I hope to continue coaching my teams with Tia Perrerira and
Uncle Denny. Nonetheless, I also hope to broaden my horizons and experiment with
different community service projects and programs that I have yet to experience since
being a religious scholar here at Chaminade University.