Kareem Walters
Myself Third Spirit of New York 2002 Scholarship Winner
William E. Grady High School
Kingsborough Community College
"I have known Kareem for over three years as his Guidance Counselor. Kareem is a student in our Electrical Installation Program. He is participating in our peer mediation training and has been a member of Grady's track team for the past two years. Kareem is a hard working student who gets along well with his teachers and his peers."
—Susan Flynn, Guidance Counselor
Work, Volunteer, and Extra-Curricular Activities
- 1199 Youth Mentoring at Brookdale Hospital
- Peer Mediation
- Music Recording Studio
- School track team
Excerpts from Kareem's Essay
Civic Responsibility is the rights and duties of citizens in relating to their city. This simply means that I would be responsible for my own actions, whether they improve or degrade the community in which I live. I live in the Old Mill Basin area of Brooklyn. It is a very quiet neighborhood comprised mainly of small one or multiple family homes. Most homeowners take pride in maintaining their homes and surroundings.…
Special attention is given to keeping an eye out for any act of vandalism to homes, cars, or business places in the neighborhood. There have been a few instances when some neighbor's property has been vandalized. That to me is very disheartening because people are doing their best to maintain and upkeep the community. Another personal experience that I had pertaining to civic responsibility was the annual block clean up day.… On the day of the cleanup all the neighbors come out with their brooms, and dustpans, and voluntarily clean the street.… Taking part in this community service demonstrates my awareness and appreciation of the importance of civic responsibility.
In my opinion civic responsibility not only has to do with the cleaning up of one's neighborhood. It also deals with what goes on in the city. For example, extra curricular activities for youths like after school sports and after school programs to help children with their homework. This is a very important part of civic responsibility. The teachers involved in these after school programs and activities are giving back to their city. It is also their responsibility that children learn in school.
The destruction of the World Trade Center was and will always be one of the most memorable moments in history. It will not only be remembered for the devastation and loss of many innocent lives, but also for the courage of city workers who put their own lives at risk in order to find surviving victims of the explosion. These workers include firemen, policemen, construction workers, and people who had family members in the two buildings when they exploded. In this incident many showed their awareness and concern for those in need by providing food and water.
From my being involved in civic activities my outlook on life differs. I respect my environment more than I used to, and take advantage of anything that will lead to an improvement in the community, whether it's sweeping the leaves in front of my house or helping out with community service or city projects. Civic responsibility should be shared by all people regardless of age, national origin, education or profession. The cleanliness of a neighborhood immediately alerts outsiders of the people's care and concern for their community.
