Hampton High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
When walking through an art gallery, individuals are able to examine and appreciate the beauty of each masterpiece; they can notice how each color and element in the works are intertwined and serve the purpose of contributing to the entire image. Each stroke of color is beautiful and unique when examined in isolation from the rest of the piece, but what creates a sense of amazement and meaning is when the painting is viewed as a whole. Likewise, with volunteerism, a sense of community and beauty is created when people of different backgrounds, interests, and ideas can come together to help support a common goal of making a positive impact on society. I am just one stroke of color in the masterpiece that is society, and the main way that I contribute to the work as a whole is by donating my time to help others. I have volunteered at many different events, camps, and fundraisers such as being a Faith Formation teacher for first graders at my church, St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, a group leader at an engineering camp for elementary and middle school aged children at Shaler North Hills Library, and putting hours of dedication into planning Talbot Thon, a school and community-wide fundraiser at Hampton High School where all proceeds go to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Through each experience, I made connections and gained insight on different aspects of life that are very important to me. When teaching Faith Formation, I was able to help prepare them for the sacrament of First Communion and strengthen not only their knowledge about our faith but also my own. When volunteering for the engineering camp, I was able to explore my college major, industrial engineering, while helping children know what engineering is and all of the different disciplines available. By inspiring a younger generation of potential engineers, I realized that engineering is something that I would love to do as a career and made connections with a woman involved in SWE, a network of successful women engineers. Donating my time and effort in order to help plan Talbot Thon for two years now has also opened my eyes to how much a community coming together can save lives. Being able to contact speakers for the event, create the t-shirt design for the students to wear that night and sorting out many other aspects made it not only an impactful fundraiser for those receiving donations, but also for everyone involved including myself. Moving on to the next stages of my life, I will never lose this zeal for helping others. I love to get involved because it makes me feel as if I am giving back to the society that has provided so much for me. Every smile, “thank you”, and enthusiasm from others that I experience when volunteering provide an affirmation that I am not just a stroke of color on a blank canvas, but an aspect that contributes to the masterpiece of society as a whole.