“Working at Lucy Read has helped me better understand my purpose and what I want to spend my life doing.” —Michelle Castillo
Michelle Castillo, Member 2006–2007
ACEE has been so awesome, I don't know where to start. Because UT Austin is such a big campus, and because this was my first year in college, being a part of ACEE was being a part of a group of people that quickly became my friends and family away from home. On days when I would feel homesick, working with the children at Lucy Read was something I looked forward to every week. They would always help me put things into perspective—reminding me of the importance of education and the uplifting power of kids' faces and their contagious laughter.
When I started the year, my interests were in government and public policy, but through ACEE and the training we received there, along with closely interacting with the teachers on lessons, I learned that I want to specialize in education. Working at Lucy Read has helped me better understand my purpose and what I want to spend my life doing: working towards the equal opportunity for education for all through public policy. At Lucy Read, the kids were my little teachers, reminding me how important having someone that believes in your potential is at every age. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to serve the children and the teachers at Lucy Read and to have worked alongside a group of peers with hearts of gold—not to mention the best bosses in the world. I gained a rare learning experience that a college classroom would have never taught me.