Highlands High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
The Virtues of Volunteerism
Volunteerism has meant the opportunity for me to utilize my talents to their fullest potential in order to contribute to the community. When I volunteered at the local food bank, my position was the “runner,” and this meant that I helped people load food into the cart, and then wheeled it to their car, so that I could lift and place the boxes of groceries inside of their vehicles.These people needed extra assistance since they had trouble walking or had a physical condition. Every person that I helped was exceptionally appreciative, kind, and sweet. I admired the compliments they gave me. I was entertained by the stories they told me, and I was thankful for the advice they offered me. I realized that volunteerism is mutual: the people that I met at the food bank helped me just as much as I helped them.They taught me that joy is a choice, not a circumstance.They taught me to be open-minded toward other’s perspectives. They taught me to clear the stains on my lens so that I could cherish all the blessings that surround me.They taught me the importance and beneficial impact of showing empathy and compassion towards one another. Volunteerism is truly a virtue since it builds character.
My experience from volunteering has taught me that we as humans can not do everything on our own, and so it is important to be dependable towards others, and to also depend on others. Furthermore, when I volunteered, I realized that it was very team-oriented. The other volunteers and I collaborated together as a team to take on different functions. Everyone brought different specialties to the service, and this ensured that it was more meaningful. Volunteerism warmed my heart because I acknowledged that I was spending my energy and time wisely, and this inspired me to maintain that drive to work hard in other aspects of my life, such as academics, sports, and relationships.Volunteerism is going to affect me going forward in my life by applying the knowledge that I have gained from its experience in order to support my family, friends, peers, neighbors, and strangers, either in unexpected circumstances, or if they just want a giving hand to bear their load. For my future, volunteerism does not always have to be in an organized setting, but rather, it can be personal as well. The principles of volunteerism will affect me going forward by encouraging me to sacrifice a part of myself to serve others, whether it would be a few minutes, hours, or even days, while discouraging myself to make up excuses to not get involved. One should never be too busy to occasionally step out of their comfort zone in order to provide comfort for others.Furthermore, Volunteerism will convince me to be flexible and adaptable towards my future.