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Every week I have the privilege of working with such great, motivated individuals and this week was no exception. Armando Jimenez is the definition of a student leader. He is founder and President of Brothers Reaching Our Society, or BROS, which is an organization on campus aimed at helping male students find and reach their potential in the academic and community sector. The junior is also a part of UConn’s Leadership Legacy program. Students nominated for this program are pioneers in the UConn community. The students collaborate and work together to discover how to effectively influence others, fine-tune their leadership abilities, and successfully act as role models in their communities. Not only is Armando active on campus, he also spends time to give back to his home community in Hartford. He volunteers for Boys and Girls club, participates in Autism Walks and likes to help out his old Boy Scout Troup.
Hearing stories like Armando’s motivates me to want to do more for my community and for myself. I currently work three jobs and am Vice President of the Communication Society, in addition to taking classes. Armando said it best, however, there are so many people at UConn doing so much more with their time and it’s really a great thing to witness. Looking at my schedule, I realize that I should use some of my personal time to help others. Armando truly enjoys volunteering and told me “that is my personal life.” Whereas several people spend their downtime watching television and browsing Facebook, Armando and other students I’ve interviewed choose to volunteer instead. Students like him are role models for people of any age. We should allow their stories to motivate us to put in a little more effort, go the extra mile. With the holidays coming up, now is the perfect time to help out our communities. Donate winter clothes, buy a family a meal, or help out at a local food kitchen – I know that’s where I’ll be.
– If you want to be featured on One Student. One Story, please email me at julie.bruhn@uconn.edu. I’ll be happy to hear from you! –
