He was a small boy. At first he did not say anything. Eventually, I was able to get that his name was Walter and he was in third grade. I was going to tutor him for the remainder of the school year. I remember how awkward our first tutoring session was. English was not his first language, and it was hard for me to understand him because he only spoke Spanish.

Science, however, was our universal language. I remember dropping a pencil and an eraser unintentionally. All of a sudden, Walter let out a squeal of excitement. “Why that one drops quicker than this?” I explained to Walter the Law of Conservation of Energy, not through English, but by drawing it on the whiteboard. Science had drawn Walter to me. He asked me about why his mom had a fever and why his knee had turned red when he was bitten by a mosquito. And for days after our first tutoring session, I wondered how I would harness Walter’s insatiable appetite for knowledge. The answer, however, was right there in front of me: teach him even more.

At my next tutoring session, I asked Miguel, the program coordinator, about the possibility of teaching starting a biotechnology class and he loved it. I remember the first day of the class: DNA extraction. All 10 eyes were trained on me as I lectured about what DNA was and how to extract it from a kiwi. I recall the tinge of brightness and passion in Walter’s eyes. “Can I eat it,” he asked me? Those four words would stay with me the rest of my life. It was funny at the time, but as I reflect on this experience, I cannot dismiss the significance of it. Walter’s words represented the fighting spirit and resilience of our future generation. Walter had been through so much in his life. Immigration, his parents’ divorce, a language barrier… and yet a spirit of enthusiasm and passion still fostered within him. This is the kind of resiliency our generation needs to cure cancer, achieve world peace, and accomplish the many other expectations set on us by our ancestors. Seeing this gave my heart a joy unlike any other, especially in the midst of the bloodshed, dehumanization, and misfortune that seems to plague our society. Not only was there hope for our generation, but I was actually fostering some of this hope.

In addition, I was able to redefine for myself what “passion” meant by teaching this class. Passion is something that you become completely absorbed with, so much so that it allows you to forget your surroundings. One of the reasons I love the Boys and Girls Club is because they serve kids who are from low-income families. And yet, these kids, when they put on their safety goggles and lab coats, forget all about that. Their eyes twinkle with the purest enthusiasm, one that swallows up all of a person’s attention. Seeing this passion helped me realize that my passion was not just science, but teaching science. For when I teach my class, I am able to forget about the pressures from grades, test scores, and sports that usually plague my day. In this way, this class is a safe haven for me.
Walter, however, was not the only person at the club that changed how I viewed myself and the world. When I first started tutoring at the club, I would wear Sperrys, Polos, and formal khakis to make an impression on the staff, typical of a wealthy, Burlingame brat. That is until Miguel told me to “take off that fancy crap right now.” At first, I was shocked. Why would someone care about my clothing? But the truth was that this clothing had masked my identity for all my life. These clothes gave off the impression that I was preppy and uptight, but this was not who I really wa. Miguel wanted me to take off this mask. He wanted the purest version of myself, the fundamental “Alex.” And so I did. I began wearing whatever I wanted, not only at the club but at school as well, which has opened up new pathways for my to express myself through clothing, art, and music.

My love for the Boys and Girls Club has grown exponentially in the past year or so. Walter, Miguel, and everybody else at the club have become such an important part of my life. So much so that I knew I wanted to play a larger role in helping the club. I am the President of the Changemaker’s Society, which plans events for the smaller children. In addition, I started a Keystone Service Organization at the club. Keystone, on the surface, seems like an event-planning committee, but in reality it is so much more. We promote academic excellence, physical activity, and job and career planning within the club) We have created and taught finance, English, and Biotech classes while creating beautification projects for the club. But it is not just teens who are a part of this organization. The kids are taking initiative as well. They are currently in the process of delivering care packages to cancer patients. Keystone is the link I have with the younger generation. It is my chance to pass on all that I have learned from this program, to inspire others like the Boys and Girls Club has inspired me. This is my investment in the future. I want to dedicate the rest of my life with Miguel, with Walter, and with all of my other friends I have met at the club.