Inspiration is a catalyst that moves individuals to stand up for something they believe in, to make a difference, or to simply keep going. At City Year, the most inspirational moments are often those that reveal the sometimes unexpected ways in which we have impacted the students and communities we serve. Below, senior corps member Brendan Lehan, Attendance and Behavior Project Leader, shares how a chance meeting with students during his commute home was in fact An Inspiring Moment.

Riding the MBTA at six o’clock on a Friday is a festive experience, but it is rarely inspirational.  After a busy week of welcoming our new corps members, my senior corps teammates and I were looking forward to our ride home.  We were not expecting to find a happy vindication of the work that City Year is doing.

The Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester

As my teammates and I boarded the Orange Line at Back Bay Station, we found ourselves standing next to a group of four young women, whom we later found out went to the Jeremiah E. Burke High School, one of the schools that City Year serves. The young women were in a great mood and talking animatedly to each other. When they noticed us standing near them, they called out to us, shyly at first, saying that they had City Year in their school and joking with us about “guessing” our names from our nametags.  In other circumstances we might never have talked because of our difference in age, but our red jackets were an instant signal that, despite our differences, we would be friendly and caring. Our association with the corps members who had given a year to help and support these young women at the Burke had instantly conferred a certain trustworthiness and approachability upon us.

“I want to be a City Year,” offered one of the young women. Her confidence in City Year and identification with the organization as an option for her future were inspiring reminders of the power of the work that we are taking part in. City Year had connected people of different ages and walks of life and created a perfect end to a week of service.