My Story: Someone Once Told Me …

A few months ago, I stumbled across another social medium that gave me inspiration, hope and just the smile I needed. Someone Once Told Me (SOTM) is a blog that shares a new photo each day of an individual holding a sign with something written on it, that someone once told them. Next to the picture is a short explanation as to what this statement means, or how it has impacted their life.

And then I thought, what inspires me? Who has said something that was influential, and that I will never forget? While beginning to recall a few quotes I live by, I immediately thought, well, what have I said that has influenced someone’s life, if anything? What is the greatest advice I could give a friend or just a stranger? It didn’t take me long to answer my own question; give.

Give back. Give love. Give charity, hope, inspiration and friendship. Give a hug, give a smile, a helping hand or just your time. I never understood the power of giving until I went to New Orleans with the St. Bernard Project and helped rebuild homes for Hurricane Katrina victims. It was my choice to spend spring break bolting pieces of dry wall to a ceiling, and it was the most humbling choice I’ve ever made.

This past summer I participated in a program, Camp Adventure, where I worked with children in Japan who lived on a military base. After living in a foreign country for three months, I knew things would be different when I came back, but I didn’t know exactly how. I had spent the summer building relationships with children whom I still think about, and at the same time experienced a culture that was beautiful in very unique ways. I returned home with an altered outlook on my life. My friends, family and future seemed completely different. But it wasn’t them, it was the way I viewed everything around me.

So how does this help you? Well for a student, one of the most beneficial tools to your future success is to get involved! The best way to help the community or even connect with your classmates is by joining a club or association at school, just like PRSSA. There are also a variety of organizations at SDSU that give you the opportunity to be a part of something, to give back and to grow as an individual. Of course being part of a club looks good on your resume, but it also gives you that experience that puts you above the rest. The experience to possibly work with a non-profit organization, learn what it takes to fundraise for an event, or even meet experts in the “real world” is just what we need, as rising professionals, to succeed.

Someone once told me that popularity isn’t everything. Someone once told me, to be an “eagle” and rise above challenges. Someone once told me that bad things happen to good people.

So what did someone once tell you?

Pegah Rashti

Want to share your story? Contact Media Editor Lois Paula Verzosa.