<p>Can someone help me edit this essay please with rewording awkard phrases and such.
Thanks</p>
<p>Participating in the Hindu Samaj Cultural Group, with its goal of aiding the local community and increasing its awareness of Indian culture, has been my most meaningful commitment. The cultural group is very important to me because of its unique characteristics and the several important lessons that it continues to teach me. </p>
<p>As a member of this group for the past four years, Ive helped choreograph traditional dances, write scripts for plays, and contribute to community service activities. This year, I was selected president of the group giving me an opportunity to better help the community. I am now responsible for organizing projects ranging from carnivals for children to cultural dances for Dutchess Diwali Festival, an Indian festival whose importance is paralleled to the celebration of Christmas in America. </p>
<p>One of the biggest projects that we recently finished was performing a cultural show celebrating Diwali. Planning started three months before the event when I called a meeting to pick the songs, select the choreographers, and explain the plans for next three months. We met every Sunday for four hours practicing the dance, however, it wasnt that simple. Coordinating and controlling 46 members was not easy; teaching the steps to all of them and making sure that everyone was synchronized required a lot of effort. Plans seemed confusing at first as I tried to imagine how 46 people would be on the stage, but as time passed and other choreographers got involved, we decided to make one dance all boys, another all girls, and a third dance to be a mix. </p>
<p>The day of the event soon arrived and we were confident, due to our hours of practice, yet we still felt nervous performing in front of over 500 people. In the end, the dance was a big success and the best our cultural group had ever performed. I was congratulated by several members of the audience and given an award of appreciation from Hindu Samaj. This encouragement kept me going as I continued to organize and undertake several other community activities. </p>
<p>Some of the other projects I organized include Polio walk-a-thons, blood drives, and lunch boxes. Coordinating these projects taught me that hard work, coupled with effective leadership and balanced delegation, can lead to great success. Ive also learned to develop important contacts within my community by interacting with several local organizations.</p>
<p>Although I used to be somewhat shy and reserved in nature with an interest mostly in math and science, these performances have increased my interest in theatre and drama. Along with helping the community, I have in turn increased its awareness of my native culture. I look forward to continuing my work at Yale along with your South Asian Society.</p>