Fox Chapel Area High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Each person is capable of making a life-changing difference in the lives of others. In giving one’s time and effort in the form of volunteering, relationships and bonds are formed between people, strengthening the appreciation and ties associated with community. Through my volunteer work, I’ve striven to enact as much positive change across my community as possible. However, while most classify one’s neighborhood or city to be one’s community, I believe my community extends across the world.
As children read and learn more using online books and technology, schools and families are throwing away books that other less fortunate children could use to learn. In order to prevent the waste of books and to grant students an enriched education, my club, Global Outreach, has annually collected 1,000 books, raised $500, and shipped them through the African Library Project. So far we have sent books to Migori, Kenya, Mokgalo Primary School in Botswana, and are on track to send two shipments of books this year. While we will never meet the students our Global Outreach libraries serve, we know that the students’ community will forever be improved. The children of today are the future leaders, parents, and workers come tomorrow. Opportunities to prosper increase not by simply adding one person at a time, but instead by adding a person who can then teach countless others. Through Global Outreach, I not only have a greater appreciation for education, but I now understand how few limits there are to helping others, even those 8000 miles away.
My high school orchestra overhauled its philosophy to establish four distinct goals: offer music to people who don’t get to see live music, educate the next generation of string players, play for the sheer joy of playing, and build a wider audience for classical music. Our “pop-up” concerts have included playing at the local VA, a dinner for the blind, elementary schools, and Children’s Hospital. No matter the venue, the responses are remarkable. At the VA, one disabled man began to belt out the lines from “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”, making everyone in the room smile. At Children’s Hospital, a girl got the opportunity to conduct the orchestra, allowing her to feel a sense of control despite the lack of control over her own health. Another child eagerly danced while we played the “Polar Express”. Afterwards, his Mom fought back tears as she expressed, “You have no idea how much this means to him while he spends the holidays in the hospital”. What is a simple act to us, may bring about immense joy to the receiver.
I would argue that while volunteering is characterized as giving up one’s time, volunteers receive incredible benefits in exchange. I’ve made lifelong friends, felt empowered to make a difference, and experienced magical moments, all the result of volunteering. I have no doubt that I’ll continue volunteering in the future, and I’m considering a career working with non-profits or public service to make helping others my full-time job.