Riverview Junior/Senior High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Volunteerism is actually working to promote the quality of a community or a group of people. I believe that I have made a significant contribution to my local community by my volunteer activities.
I have shadowed a doctor in his Mercy Hospital “Street Medicine” practice on the city streets of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as volunteered in a small community hospital Emergency Department at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. Both of these experiences have made me want to major in biology or neuroscience in a liberal arts atmosphere and believe that I want to go on to pursue a career in medicine. During these volunteer activities, I have been witness to a strong correlation between a patient’s desire to live, if even for a few extra months, and his or her mental strength. I have also been present when the only thing that a family wanted was a priest to be able to comfort their loved one, even when they knew that the priest’s presence would have no effect on the medical status of the patient. I have seen how an idea or belief can have an effect on someone’s mind as well as their physical well being.
Additionally, I have volunteered at First Tee Pittsburgh for 3 years as a golf coach. In this capacity I had to opportunity to teach young kids not just the basics of golf, but also the fundamentals of homework management. At First Tee, after each golf lesson, where I taught them about putting, chipping or driving, I would end with a spoken lesson about a core golf value such as honesty, responsibility, or integrity. I also would speak with many of them about personal issues that they came to me with. Some talked to me about their own school behavior and others about their home situations. In each instance, I would always listen to them and guide them toward talking to another adult about whatever was bothering them. I believe that in doing these things that I inspired my young golfers to be better students. I love golf and this translates into a pulpit for positive growth for any young golfer, than I believe that I have made a positive contribution to society.
Concurrently, these acts of volunteerism also have given me opportunities to enhance my own ability to communicate, teach and listen. At both the hospital and at First Tee, I could actually build my own self-esteem and solidify my own internal moral guidance system that helps me to make good decisions whether I am in school, at work, or in the community. Going forward, these experiences will guide my own self-awareness that I believe will be an asset to me as I transition to college. My relationship with volunteerism has been symbiotic. The organizations needed me to help, and I learned from my experiences. I know that I will continue to volunteer as I move onto the next phase of my life.