Hampton High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
After working countless hours in the community and participating in many service events there is one time that really encapsulates the spirit of volunteerism. The bulk of my volunteer work has been through the St. Mary’s of the Assumption Parish Missions trip to Webster Springs, West Virginia every summer. Webster Springs is a very poor town and is so small that it’s not listed on most maps. Volunteers are tasked with building various additions, decks, and porches for the underprivileged people of Webster County. It is a week-long endeavor consisting of long, hard workdays and little sleep. However, I will never forget my first year on the trip. Honestly, I was a little skeptical of the whole mission trip thing. How could one week really change a person? After all, we were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by the mountains and no cell service. Then, they had the audacity to confiscate my iPhone. That’s when I knew that we were in for it. Little did I know that this was about to be one of the best weeks of my life. My workgroup was tasked with building an addition onto a trailer home as well as two medium-sized decks. It was a robust task to finish in only one week. As the days wore on and we began working together to build the addition and two decks, it became clear that what we were doing was much bigger than ourselves. We were serving the less fortunate people of Webster Springs, who are not as lucky to have well-educated parents and a safe environment to grow up in. We became very close with the family of five who lived in the trailer home. At the end of the week, our work was complete and I’ll never forget the looks of joy and gratefulness from family on our worksite. The whole experience helped me recognize the things in life that I take for granted and showed me how fulfilling it is to serve others. That is what volunteering is about: letting go of the silly distractions that govern our lives, like my iPhone, and instead focusing on what’s important in life. Volunteering has helped me to become a more selfless person who is focused on helping others rather than focusing on my problems and needs.