Oh hello, I’m Diana, a new addition to the blogging family at Philly campus.
This is my second semester at MCPC, life here is quite peaceful and fulfilling.

The MCPC students spent the morning of Martin Luther King Jr. day volunteering at the elementary school around the block. I worked at the giant quilt station. There was a little girl I noticed when we first arrived, she was running around and behaving loudly. I like children like this. When she sat down at the quilting station we quickly became friends. Her name was Shante (pronounced Shan-tay)

Shante’s 10-year-old attention span lasted about 5 seconds, so to keep her in one place I rapidly interrogated her about her life and interests. Here are some things she revealed.
- The Cheetah Girls (a Disney channel movie) is one of her favorite programs to watch on television. The word “cheetahlicious” is a popular alternative to “cool” or “neat”, and is frequently used among the other girls in her school.
- She attends church with her older cousin, and does not enjoy it. She goes to the corner store before church starts and buys snacks to eat during the service. I asked her if her mother attends as well. She said no, and her reason why is not appropriate for this blog.
- She has asthma, and sometimes needs to use a breathing machine. I told her I had the same condition when I was her age, but then I grew out of it so she probably would as well. She said “No, my mom has it still.” I stood corrected.

With each quilt square we decorated, my fondness for Shante grew. I understand why volunteers always tell stories about the kids they work with, and am more aware of the potential to be an incredibly positive influence on the life of a child.

As we were on our way out of the school, it took me a few minutes to catch Shante’s attention as she chased her little friend around the gymnasium. She was quite sad to see us leave. My roommate Bethany and I agreed to send her a little note and invited her to go out for pizza with us sometime at the shop next door to our house.
In regards to the note…
“There better be candy in it.” Shante answered.