Gateway High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Volunteering has acted as an instrumental part of my life and has allowed me to expand on many passions of mine. Starting in my sophomore year of high school, I began to actively volunteer within my community. Over the past few years, I have dedicated over four-hundred hours to my volunteer efforts. To expand on this, I have volunteered in the playrooms at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, aided in the transportation of patients at UPMC East Hospital, helped rehabilitate rescued horses at Pleasant Valley Rescue Ranch, and I have volunteered for numerous organizations and events through my high school’s Interact Club. Experiencing my community through these various activities opened my eyes to the opportunities available for me to impact the lives of others.Furthermore, volunteering has helped me become a well rounded individual through the various characteristics one can gain from helping others such as compassion, caring, empathy, and understanding. Along with this, I also developed a deeper understanding of the world around me and the different individuals who I can help. This has become a very rewarding and beneficial experience, and it has greatly impacted my life. Without volunteering, I would not have many of the opportunities I have today. Furthermore, my understanding of the world would not be as extensive and as valuable had I not volunteered. I believe Volunteering has not only greatly changed my life but also the lives of many other individuals. By dedicating my time to helping others, I believe I have greatly influenced others’ lives by tirelessly working to improve their situation, or at least make the situation more tolerable. Also, acting as a support system can greatly improve someone else’s life by creating a way for the individual to express their feelings about their situation. Various different volunteer activities can provide this support system and allow me to help others to the fullest extent possible. Going forward, I plan to continue my various volunteer activities, which will aide in continuing my character development while also satisfying my many passions for helping others. I hope my volunteering can continue to act as an instrumental and influential part of my life.