Ligonier Valley High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Volunteerism to me has meant helping others that may be less fortunate than myself have a more positive life without making them feel inferior. I have volunteered frequently within my community from food pantries to going to elementary schools and teaching the students Spanish. I find that the most influential service opportunity I had a part of was the You’ve Got A Friend Day. As a member of my school’s National Honor Society Club, we got to go to Twin Lakes Park where we got paired up with a special needs person for the day. There were a ton of unique things to participate in with your buddy. There was fishing, pedal boats, bounce houses, amusement park rides, carriage rides, dancing, a petting zoo and a bird show. My buddy wanted to try everything that they had to offer so that’s exactly what we did. She loved the petting zoo that was offered and the bounce houses. We even got to race in the one obstacle course bounce house. One of the best parts was that she got to be the volunteer in the bird show and got to have the parrot rest on her arm. She also got a beautiful bird feather for her participation. It was truly an amazing experience to see how happy the special needs individuals were that they were being accepted and having the time of their lives. I will never forget the smile on my buddies face throughout the entire day. She finally felt that she fit in and I’m glad that I was the person to make her feel this way. This was by far my favorite service opportunity and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I plan to continue volunteering in my future and change the lives of those around me for the better just like I have done throughout my life.