Ashley Milagros Rodriguez
Somebody once said that “If we could sell our experiences for what they are really worth, we would have millions to spare.” I am not sure if that person was a Landmark volunteer, but I am sure that every Landmark volunteer would agree. The people all over our planet live such different lives from one another. At times, it seems that we live in completely different worlds. Landmark is one of those occasional chances in life where many worlds are brought together as one. The Landmark experience allowed me to share pieces of my world with the others, while at the same time, to take pieces of their world into my own, all for the good of everyone’s world.

I am a New Yorker through and through. I live in “the World’s Capital,” but the cultures and diversity I encountered in Massachusetts at the Perkins School for the Blind was well beyond any experience I’d ever had at home. It was not just about making friends from around the country either; it was much more than that. It was about discovering that people have different things that are important to them, different things that motivated them, and different obstacles to overcome. It was about understanding the underlying similarities beneath all those differences and learning how to live in a way that is beneficial for everyone.

While most of my volunteered time was spent doing busy work such as landscaping around the school and reorganizing things in Braille and Talking Book Library, I was exposed to the world the students attending the school live in. I was able to get a better understanding of how tough life can be, and how easy it can be to meet those challenges with the right tools, the right attitude, and just a little help from each other. I was also able to learn a little bit of Braille and some cool techniques for moving, communicating, and interacting without the use of sight; a truly eye closing experience.

Abraham Lincoln had a great philosophy on how to address the causes he believed in, “I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause.” Well I believe the work of Landmark helps the cause and I can’t wait to find out what new experiences are waiting for me next year.

back to volunteer list