Greater Latrobe Senior High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Julie Andrews once said, “Use your knowledge, and your heart, to stand up for those who can’t stand, speak for those who can’t speak, and be a beacon of light for those whose lives have become dark.” At some point in our lives, we all need someone to help us, whether it be for guidance, financial help, or just being a friend to talk to. We all have dark moments, days, or years. I know the feeling. To me, volunteering is a way that I can use my knowledge, heart, and voice to spread light to people struggling with that darkness. I have volunteered at a variety of places, but the one place that will always be nearest to my heart is Outdoor Odyssey. I am a mentor and junior counselor for this camp, where mentors and campers are paired to create support systems for youth in our community. I have been blessed to be a part of the incredible growth that occurs at Outdoor Odyssey. I mentor two lovely girls now, and I have learned so much from my experience with them. I get a glimpse into their lives, dreams, and situation, and I help to guide them, talk to them, and just be there for them throughout anything and everything. Being a mentor, I see the lives of two girls closely, and as a junior counselor as well I see hundreds of new faces a summer that I am thankful to have met. Outdoor Odyssey has shown me new sides of life that I have never considered before, with family situations and personalities that are quite different from my own. Interacting with others and growing off of each other, that is my favorite part of volunteering, what it truly means to me. If we all stay in our personal bubbles, we are doomed to be stagnant. Only through others do we interact and learn from each other, and that is what volunteering at this camp has done for me. I think back to the person that I was before I went there, and I was an outcast, under-confident, and self-doubting person. Now, I trust in myself and my abilities as I have seen that when I step out of my comfort zone I can do whatever I put my mind to. I have seen my campers step out of their comfort zones as well, and I get the best feeling inside when I see them be proud of themselves, and more confident too. Volunteering at Outdoor Odyssey has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I am forever grateful for the experience it has given me; I would not trade it for the world. Going forward, I know volunteering will help me to keep growing personally and with others as they grow too. My goal is to be, as Julie Andrews perfectly put it, “a beacon of light for those whose lives have become dark.” Those are words to live by.