Hampton High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Throughout my life, I’ve turned to the wisdom of Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s call to “do small things with great love.” I find myself embracing this belief as I promote a shift in perspective, encouraging a move from a pervasive “me” attitude to an “others first” approach, a value my parents emphasized while raising me. As such, volunteerism has always been a part of my life, beginning as a Catholic-school student reading Scripture to a congregation—knees shaking as I stood atop a stool so I could see over the lectern—to working in Appalachia to build ramps and stairs. In truth, every moment I’ve spent volunteering has affected me as greatly as those for whom I served.
When I was 14, I began work to earn the Saint Joan of Arc Medallion, spending three years completing over 150 hours of community service. While some see “service hours” as just another requirement on a long to-do list, I firmly believe service can and should have a profound effect on volunteers, bringing out the best versions of ourselves. Volunteerism offers the opportunity for immeasurable growth, as long as we’re smart enough to grab it. Moreover, genuine giving often requires a step out of our comfort zones, and in the summer of 2018, I took the leap that forever changed me.
That June, my parish youth group traveled to West Virginia to perform construction work for families in need. My team served an older couple with a paralyzed husband who was unable to leave home due to a failing wheelchair ramp. Our assignment: demolish the old ramp and build a new one. When the foreman first announced the project, we were skeptical that six teenagers could raze an old ramp, dig and fill 14 holes with cement, and create 60 feet of stable structure within five days. However, fueled by our faith (not to mention a very effective chainsaw), we came together and created not only the 60-foot ramp, but a second, shorter one as well as a staircase. We tied streamers at the top of the completed ramp for a grand first entrance, and the look of pure joy on the man’s face is something I would willingly work hundreds of hours to see again. A group of high schoolers joined forces to transform a handful of lives, but in the process we transformed ourselves, strengthening our hearts by doing good for others.
I felt privileged to be part of such immeasurable, positive change in the lives of people who so desperately craved some goodness, and I witnessed just how far a bit of giving can go when powered by love. Service is a way of life, a reflection of not only who I am but of who I want to be. Although I see my future through a foggy lens—the path lined with dreams, wishes, hopes, and fears—one thing remains crystal clear: I found the best of myself in the hills of Appalachia, and that is who I aim to always be.