Anna Kleinsasser

When I came to Park in ninth grade after attending a public middle school, I was shocked by the passion and overwhelming student involvement in the Park Habitat for Humanity group. I was not used to such a large emphasis on youth leadership and was struck by the encouraged notion that we could create change. After two years of participating in miscellaneous work, I came to the Mother’s day build and dedication of the seventh house. After this, I had a new found passion for the project after witnessing the impact we were making on people and communities. Not only was I affected by the deep satisfaction of working with a dedicated group of diverse people and seeing the creation that arose from the work we accomplished, but at the end of the work day, I met the families as the houses were given to them. Not only did I meet the homeowners, though, but also I saw the large circle of people that were affected. After this experience, I was driven to have a leadership role in the project. Participating in the build made the work that we do in Habitat real to me, and because of it, I found a strong motivation to be involved in making change like this, as much as possible. I am enthusiastic not only about participating in builds throughout my next years at Park, but I am also excited to possibly have growing responsibilities with, and to learn from presentations, and especially advocacy.