Calvert Hall College High School
Baltimore, Maryland
Teacher: Mr. George Kropp  

My Roles and Views in the Community
By Christian Barreiro
11th Grade

In my eyes, a community is a social group that holds similar views on the social, religious, and occupational aspects of life.  Members of a community love everyone and do not feel that they are above anyone else.  I view a community as a group who will always be there for one another and treat everyone fairly.  I think the concept of community is a beautiful thing.  Members of a community do not even have to live near each other.  For instance, Catholics are members of a large community that all share similar religious views.  A man who lives in California is in the same religious community as a Catholic man who lives in Italy.

I had to closely analyze what the word “community” meant to me.  I did not realize that I was a member of a community everyday.  I am part of a community as soon as I wake up in the morning.  As soon as I step into my school, I am part of a community.  As soon as I step foot out of the school and get in my car, I am a member of the community.  When I go to my soccer practice, I am a member of a community.  There are various communities on the Earth.  To truly sit down and marvel at the amount of communities that I am in is miraculous.

One of the primary communities that I am a part of is the world community.  The world community stretches across all seven continents and is very vast.  A boy who lives in Australia is a member of the same world community that I am a member of, regardless of the distance.  For this reason, the world community is a beautiful thing.  The unity between countries and institutions such as the United Nations are phenomenal.  The connection that members of the world community have is unique.  For example, when I traveled to Brazil over the springtime, the members of the Brazilian community were very welcoming.  They treated me like a fellow Brazilian.

The United States is one of the best places to live in the entire world.  The close relationship that Americans have with each other is extraordinary.  It is truly an honor to be a member of the national community in the United States.  We can live freely here which is very special.  I truly appreciate how members of the national community are caring for one another and always look to better our country.  For instance, after Hurricane Katrina many Americans donated money or manually helped victims of the disaster.  After learning of the amount of people who wanted to help the victims, I was very impressed.  It is great to see that members of our national community have each other's backs in times of grief.  Furthermore, the relationship between states is unmatchable.  The people of every…state that I have been to have treated me like I am their equal.  This philosophy of unity is the reason why we say "the United States is" and not "the United States are."

My local community of Baltimore is remarkable.  Everyone who lives in my local community is respecting.  When I drive through Baltimore on my way to school, I think to myself about how blessed I am to live in such a wonderful community.  My local community is so nice to me that I give back to it by performing service.  I perform service at the local retirement center, which makes me feel proud.  The old folks always have a smile on their faces when they see me walk through the door.

The relationship that I have with my nuclear family is close and full of love.  We do everything together.  My family and I share almost every common interest and we all love each other’s company.  We go to the movies together, play sports together, laugh together, and cry together.  My father is a gentle man who loves his family more than anything else in the world.  My mother is a kind woman who always looks out for me and helps me when I am in need.  My sister is very close with me and is always reasonable.

The bond that I have with my relatives is strong.  I visit my cousins often and they always bring a smile to my face.  Additionally, my grandparents are wonderful people.  They always attempt to attend my sporting events and never have a negative word for me.  My grandmother on my father’s side whom I call “abuelita,” which is Spanish for “little grandmother,” is a saint.  At only 4’11’, she is one of my most loving family members and she always supports me. 

I was excited when I learned about my ancestors.  I learned that I am distantly related to Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln.  I was very astonished when I learned this because being related to people of such high stature is truly an honor.  On my father’s side, my ancestors come from Colombia.  I do not know much about these ancestors, but my grandmother has told me that they were very nice people.

My close friends are always there for me.  They share similar interests and we can always spend time with each other.  It is great to have many friends because you always have someone to talk to if you need advice.

A community that is uniquely mine is my soccer team.  I am so close with my teammates and always enjoy playing soccer with one another.  We have our own inside jokes and certain memories that will always make us laugh together.  I view my teammates as if they are part of my family.

This essay truly made me recognize the concept of community.  I recognized that we are all part of a community in some form and being a part of a community helps us develop as people.  By writing this essay, I have become further enlightened on the world and the communities that are within it.          

  Back