Emma Catherine Mahon

I volunteered childcare at an in-house addiction rehabilitation center for mothers in my home town. This center is called Serenity Place and is an outlet of a larger rehabilitation program called the Family Effect. I experienced people from all different backgrounds and learned to understand people according to the context of where they came from. I love children, and the bonds I created with the kids that came through Serenity Place changed my life. These children taught me patience and empathy, and I am more open-minded because of them. My responsibility at Serenity Place was to watch the children on Tuesdays and Sundays when their moms were at programs. Many of these kids came from neglect and/or abuse, and it was so beautiful to watch them heal and learn to trust. My Sophomore Project involved doing research about the effects of prenatal exposure to drugs on children and raising awareness at my school as well as and fundraising for Serenity Place. For my Senior Capstone, I painted a mural in the Serenity Place dining hall. Through this experience, I got to know so many of the moms and some even helped me paint.

I was also part of the Greenville County Youth Board for the Family Effect. We planned events at schools in our area to reduce the stigma and raise awareness about the effects of drugs and alcohol.

• Learned about architecture software programs and building codes
• Designed my own commercial project which was then reviewed and critiqued by the office
• Sat in on meetings and shadowed company projects
• Discovered that I love the design side of architecture but the technical side (regulation codes) was a bit too tedious. This was beneficial in allowing me to realize I would prefer marketing/advertising design.