In University Division, we believe that a lot of small actions lead to big impact. During Welcome Week, we asked you through an iGPS Inbox message to tell us about a time when you did something small to help make something better for another person.

We received many moving responses. Here are some of the things you told us:

 

Small Interactions

“I went to a concert and noticed that a girl seemed to be excluded from her friend group and didn’t seem to be having much fun, so I approached her and told her that I loved what she was wearing and that it looked gorgeous on her. Her face instantly lit up and her friends noticed too and began to include her in their conversation!”

“A lot of the time I compliment complete strangers’ outfits, and I feel like if someone complimented me it would make my day better so I hope it made their day better!”

 

Helping friends and loved ones

“Something little that I did to make someone’s life better is surprise them by washing their sheets and making their bed before they returned from a busy day. It is a hassle & exhausting for this person to do the tiniest task but it is nothing to me, so why not help.”

“I make lunch for my husband nearly every day. He works long hours about 50 min out from where we live. It makes it easier for him in the morning to just grab his lunch box out of the fridge and go.”

 

 

Reaching out at school

“One semester at school I noticed that this one kid was sitting by himself for the first couple of days so I invited him to sit at my table with my friends, and he was pretty cool.”

“One time, a new girl was sitting alone at lunch, and I saw her from my table with my friends. I felt really bad that she had to sit alone, so I asked my friends if we should invite her over, but they all seemed kind of hesitant to invite someone we didn’t know to sit with us. I got up and walked over to her table to see if she wanted to sit with us. She ended up being really nice, and I was happy I could make her smile and feel like she wasn’t so alone.”

“I don’t know if I have better someone’s life but during this freshman welcome I always approached students who were either walking alone or sitting in the corner just to make that casual talk and let them know that everyone here is just as nervous and excited as he/she is.”

Caring at work

“I used to work in Goodwill. There were many of my customers who are homeless. They tried very hard to survive. Once there was a guy, he was trying to get a box of candy. That box of candy was priced on 1.5 dollars. He took out a dollar bill, and kept searching the rest of changes. After few minutes search of his pockets and backpack, all he got was 35 cents. He was very disappointed and tried to pass the candy and leave. At that moment, I felt very sad. That sadness is something really breaks your heart. I stopped him and said, “Sir, I will pay it for you. Take your candy and your dollar bill.” He said “Thank you” and left. I put my own 1 dollar bill and I felt so warm. This is something really for me and most of other people but it just made my day.”

“I worked in a nursing home my first semester of my senior year when I was earning my CNA certification. It’s awful to see how the elderly are treated by those meant to care for them. When I was working at the home, something as simple as being kind and gentle, or even just addressing the resident by name and striking up a conversation with them, went a long way.”

Thank you for sharing your stories. We wish we could have included them all here. Keep having a positive impact by caring about those around you, strangers and friends alike.

Be sure to download iGPS Inbox to receive more messages to help your transition to IU.