Hempfield Area High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Volunteerism has had a heavy influence in my life ever since I was young when my passion to serve my community was spurred by my joining of Girl Scouts in Kindergarten. My first major fundraiser was when I was in third grade, in which I held a drive for our local animal shelter. The joy I felt from unloading a truck full of donations made me eager to help more. Each year, I took more and more under my belt; joining a club one day, and planning a new event the next. I have been fortunate to donate over 300 hours to my community, and I hope to donate quadruple that in my future. Volunteerism has presented me with so many opportunities and new relationships; seeing the impacts I have made in my school and community is what drives me to do more.
My leadership positions within these organizations have allowed me to implement many annual events within my school. These events are a Penny Wars fundraiser, a student-led orientation for freshmen, a Kindness Spirit Week to spur positivity and kindness, and a Mini THON, as well as the continuation of annual events and traditions such as Read Across America, Holiday Extravaganza, Homecoming Pep Rally, talent shows, and blood drives, as well as being a volunteer in a myriad of others. These events have become a tradition in my school and community.
Being an officer in so many clubs can be very challenging at times, especially when multiple responsibilities overlap. However, having relationships with many teachers, principals, and community members is a major benefit. These relationships provide me with a copious amount of resources, which not only makes planning events and projects easier, but they also come to me if they need a student to take charge of a task. For example, after the Stoneman Douglas school shooting, there was a lot of backlash and multiple school walkouts being planned. Because of my leadership positions within the building, the principals asked me to unite these efforts and work hand-in-hand with the administration to ensure the walkout was a safe and effective way to give students the opportunity to express their concern.
Being in charge of and volunteering in so many events have allowed me to make many connections and friendships within my school and community, but the satisfaction of making someone smile, giving them food to feed their family, or giving classmates a platform to express their emotions is the biggest benefit of all. The most difficult part is the realization that I will not be a part of many of these activities after high school and choosing underclassmen that I trust to take over my responsibilities. Serving my school and community has been a big part of my high school career and I hope to make as big of an impact in college and in my community in the years to come because there is no better feeling in the world than making someone smile.