Armstrong Junior/Senior High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Grins of Gratitude
Volunteerism: Merriam-Webster defines it as, “the act or practice of doing volunteer work in community service.” This technical definition does not scrape the service of volunteerism, though. The feeling a person gets while slowly seeing a grin of gratitude form across another person’s face is the epitome of volunteerism. It is not only the “practice of doing volunteer work,” but what comes after that. While volunteering in local, as well as global, communities, I have had the opportunity to see beyond the surface created by such a definition.
On the subject of local volunteerism, I have had dozens of opportunities to serve within my community. During my junior year, I volunteered at my local hospital, Armstrong Community Memorial Hospital. As well as the hospital, I also have had dozens of opportunities through a club at my school known as the Leo Club. It is a service based club that always jumps at the opportunity to help. Holding the position of president my Junior year, I, as well as other ambitious members, was able to deliver valentines to local personal care homes, raise money for a local animal shelter through a talent show, clean up a local park for Earth-Day, fill bookbags with school supplies for those in need, ship 15 Operation Christmas Child boxes overseas, collect over 100 toys for a local toy drive, and collect over 1,000 cans for a local canned food drive. Each project our club took on was another project that I knew would be making a difference.
In addition to local volunteerism, I have also had the opportunity to participate in global volunteerism through mission trips to Puerto Rico (2017), and Paraguay (2018). In Puerto Rico, our team had the opportunity to run a Vacation Bible School, paint a local man’s home, and socialize within the community. In Paraguay, our team had the opportunity to prep the foundation for a house in order to bring future missionaries to South America, and socialize within the community.
Volunteerism has a special place in my heart. From hearing the laughs of foreign places, to seeing the grateful smiles here at home, all of the volunteerism I have been involved in has inspired me to continue this trend throughout my life. The feeling a person gets while slowly seeing a grin of gratitude form across another person’s face is the epitome of volunteerism. It is not only the “practice of doing volunteer work,” but what comes after that. Volunteerism has taught me to be grateful for what I have, while also having humility when seeing what others do not have. From flying 4,000 miles, to walking across the street of my hometown, volunteerism has given an entirely new perspective on life, and I plan on using this new perspective all throughout my life.