As students, it is very easy to live in a bubble without truly getting to know the city we live in. Path to Purpose enabled me to step outside this bubble and develop real-world connections with community members as well as gain a firsthand view of community organization. I can safely say that the one year of being a Path to Purpose fellow has prompted more growth than the three previous years combined. I was a rather passive individual, but through the months, I was able to take more proactive steps, contacting other P2P fellows and community partners, to make an impact.

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              Through the workshops, activities, and presentations during our regular meetings, I began to reflect more on what I could contribute to the community, considering my positionality, my skills, and what systems I am a part of. I also discovered new directions that I didn't know about before by listening to the speakers share their journey with self-discovery and finding their cause, as well as the steps they took to become a part of the endeavor they were representing.  Before Path to Purpose, I had never heard of many of the concepts and processes that plays a role in community organization, such as social entrepreneurship, root cause involvement, asset-based community development, and much more. The dialogues I participated in with other P2P fellows also helped me recognize more about their own values and approaches to community development, and I found opportunities to collaborate and grow within the network of these diverse members.