Working as a volunteer has always been an integral part of my high school experience. Over the past four years I have dedicated three summers to volunteer service:
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:
- Gentrifying a cemetery by picking weeds and painting the border fence
- Sorting goods at a Salvation Army
- Putting together an outdoor Carnival for children with Special Needs
- Cooking a meal at a homeless shelter
- Singing and uplifting the spirits of an retirement center (outside)
- Cleaning up litter at a beach
Habitat for Humanity Relief Mission to PR
Summers of 10th and 11th Grade:
During the summer of 2022, in addition to competing in the Skate 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 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 2022 that I returned back in the summer of 2023 to assist in Puerto Rico once again.
