By Armand Hodge
When was the last time you helped someone? Was it a year ago, last week, last night, two weeks or last month? Last week I took a trip to the Miss HBCU pageant in Atlanta. While walking from a restaurant with many of my classmates and friends we passed many homeless people sitting on park benches. I noticed one of my classmates giving several homeless people money to help them in their time of need. A few of my classmates asked “Why did you do that?” He didn’t respond. My classmate didn’t have to answer. But I realized why he did it. He did it out the kindness of his heart. He wasn’t looking for anything in return. Sometimes you should help those who need it most. It doesn’t even need to be in the form of money. It can be with your encouraging words or even your caring heart. A couple weeks ago some of my closest friends sat me down and talked to me. They knew I was going through a lot and slacking on some things. They knew I could do better with my job, my school work, and even certain activities that I am committed to. It was their encouraging words that made me feel better and want to do better. I’ve always been a helpful person but seeing my friends and classmates actions have made me want to help others even more.
A wise man once said, “You automatically help those because you genuinely care.” Helping others can also make you stronger and make you better as a person. You can also learn a lot from helping others. Just recently when I helped my friend try to get an internship helped me get a better understanding of my friend. It showed me that my friend was hardworking and very ambitious. Somebody I knew once said, “Helping is one of the many keys to life.” They were right. So the next time someone asks you for help and you say “no” remember how helping them can have a big influence on not only their life, but yours as well. | 
