Penn-Trafford High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Aristotle once said “What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.” Despite being more than 2300 years old, this quote truly embodies what volunteerism means to me. There is nothing more rewarding than donating your own time and effort to make other people’s lives a little better. Volunteering is a chance for me to give back to the people and places in my community that have had a positive impact on my life.
One of the main ways I have gotten involved in volunteerism is through the Boy Scouts of America. I have been involved in the program since sixth grade, and throughout that entire time community service has been a hallmark of my activities. Volunteering is a main part of the boy scouts and, in fact, a part of the scout oath is to “help other people at all times”. I have been involved in pancake breakfasts, food drives, blood drives, spaghetti dinners, and many other opportunities to do good for others. Additionally, through this program I have been able to help with numerous eagle scout projects, including my own. For my project, I built benches and a firepit for the youth program at my local church. Whenever I see children and other members of my community utilizing this project, it makes all the effort and time I put into it worth it. Altogether, volunteerism has affected my life positively and taught me the good that comes from putting others before myself.
In the future, I plan for volunteerism to continue to be a major part of my life. During my time in college and beyond, I hope I will be able to stay involved in whatever community I am involved. Helping people locally is such a great feeling because you are able to see the direct impact of your efforts.
I plan on attending The Ohio State University, and will seek to become active as a volunteer there as well. Whether it be helping out on campus, or working with others in the surrounding city, I will try my best to continue making the lives of less-fortunate others a little easier, while keeping a positive attitude.
Overall, community service and volunteerism have been an integral part of my life and my character. The satisfaction on someones face who you have helped, or the well-being of a community you have impacted, make all of the hard-work done as a volunteer worth it time and time again. If everyone knew this feeling and got involved in volunteering, I think the world would be a much better place with more happiness and community. I hope with my small contributions, I can work to create something bigger than the sum of its parts: a brighter future rooted in volunteerism.