“Chessed” in Hebrew means kindness or doing acts of kindness. It is a primary ethical virtue of being a Jew. Working as a volunteer has always been an integral part of my high school experience. Over the past four years I have dedicated four summers to community service and chessed projects:
NCSY Give West
Summer of 9th Grade: During the summer of 2021, I spent three weeks with NCSY Give West volunteering on numerous community projects on the West Coast of the United States. Below are just a few of the items we did as a group to help different communities:
- Restoring a cemetery by picking weeds and painting their fences
- Sorting goods at a Salvation Army Center
- Putting together an outdoor carnival for children with special needs
- Cooking a meals at a homeless shelter
- Singing and uplifting the spirits at a retirement center
- Cleaning up litter at a beach
Habitat for Humanity Relief Mission to Puerto Rico
Summers of 10th & 11th Grade:
During the summer of 2022, in addition to competing in the State Games of America, I also volunteered in Puerto Rico with Habitat for Humanity. The island was in serious disrepair in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and was much in need of assistance from FEMA and other organizations. For almost two weeks myself and twenty other teens worked on the following relief items:
- Painting and home drywall repair
- Clearing debris
- Creating a day camp for local children
I found the experience on the relief mission so rewarding and meaningful in the summer of 2022 that I returned back in the summer of 2023 to assist again in Puerto Rico.
Sephardic Adventure Camp: Embracing my Heritage
Summer of 12th Grade
Sephardic Adventure Camp was established in the 1950s by the Sephardic communities in Seattle, WA. My own mother attended this camp back in the 80s! SAC is a unique camp experience designed specifically to preserve the Sephardic-Ladino traditions. It is the only overnight camp of its kind in the world. I have spent three summers at the Sephardic Adventure camp as a child. After graduating high school, I returned to the camp as a counselor and as their main lifeguard. I hope to return again in the summer of 2025 as a counselor and lifeguard again. I am an American Red Cross certified lifeguard for both swimming pools and lakes.
Being a camp counselor has taught me about leadership, conflict-resolution and adaptability. Working as a lifeguard has taught me about vigilance, responsibility and effective communication.
