Alternate Break Immersion Trip

In the course of my time at Union County College, I was able to participate in measures that aided my community and those in need. I took part in the donation and creation of care bags which were donated to the Salvation Army. This initiative was made by AESNJ as

While volunteering at Discovery Challenger I have exclusively worked with a blind man named Geno. My service to the Discovery Challenger Program has positively affected the community in that the athletes that required a helper were able to have me as one despite the limited number of volunteers who helped the athletes. Another community service I committed myself to while in high school was the club Life is Delicious. Life is Delicious is a club that between two and three times Year members of the club cook a warm meal at the high school, and then some go to the St. Vincent DePaul Homeless Shelter in Waterbury. At the end of my sophomore year I was named Co-President of the club. As a member of the club I went to all of the cooking and serving activities and was able to help the homeless of Waterbury by giving them a warm meal. The most impactful service I performed in my opinion was during my junior year when I was the organizer for the Penguin Plunge. During my junior year I thought that it would be a good idea for the basketball team to do the Penguin Plunge in order to raise money for Special Olympics Connecticut as I had done so in the previous two years. So, I approached the athletic director

Last May, I traveled with Alternative Breaks to New York for community service. During this service, I worked with Meals on Wheels who dedicate their time to provide food for the elderly of Manhattan. As I delivered the food to the seniors, I got a sense of fulfillment because I made them smile by providing them with food. Thus, I chose MDC’s Single Stop because I wanted to make a difference in my home campus by providing and assuring nourishment to those that do not have it just like I did in New York. As my first two years of college comes to an end, I wanted to leave a mark of my own here at home at Miami Dade College North Campus. During the month of September, I decided to partner up with a few of my peers to serve at MDC’s Single Stop.

Throughout the past four years of high school, I have done my best to try and stay actively involved in the community. I have been presented with some amazing volunteer opportunities such as Huron Safety Town, STAR Leadership Camp, American Red Cross, and Huron High School Girl’s Basketball Biddy Program.

Due to my involvement in my school, I have a plethora of opportunities that affect my community. As a member of the National Honor Society, we stay involved in activities that benefit our chapter and Walkerton itself. For instance, we annually undergo a food drive at our school in order to supply food for the people in the community. Then we transport the food to the food pantry and once every month we take turns to distribute the food to the people who need it. This distribution we do for the community aids the people in need as most people receiving the food are unable to transport the food themselves. Alongside the food drives, I spend hours of volunteering for concessions, tutoring students after school, and aiding for the band teacher.

Over the course of my academic career, I have volunteered with Key Club at my school and other various places, such as the Poe Center for Health Education and WakeMed Health and Hospitals. Involvement with each organization has had a tremendous impact on my character. Often, while at the Poe Center, I had hours alone to create educational tools, file papers, and enter data into spreadsheets which taught me responsibility and integrity. I always strived for the best when I completed tasks at the Poe Center and at WakeMed. Each organization has been impacted through my volunteer services. With Key Club, we had monthly trips to the senior home. Each time I visited the senior home, the elder’s faces would light up because many of them did not have

Once I became a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I continued my work with local Boys & Girls Club here in Champaign. This is when my relationship with Don Moyer began. I was a part of an organization on campus called Men of Impact. This organization was founded and is known for minority men making an impact in all ways possible of campus. Well through Men of Impact, a partnership with Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club to do a program titled Passport to Manhood was created. I was appointed the head facilitator position. Three members as well as myself would visit the club every Monday and mentor the students as well as engage in activities for about to two hours. The Don Moyer club had a huge impact on me because I was learning things about students who weren’t from the same place as me but were facing the same conditions, if not worse, as those from Chicago. The students would always say they feel that their home is viewed as a party location for college students and they feel that the area is only beneficial for those attending the university. A proud moment I had while volunteering at Don Moyer was when a student stated our group coming every week to spend time with the club has made them want to work hard and pursue a college education after high

The summer before high school, I decided it was time to get involved in the community. A close family friend who attended my church offered a volunteer position with her organization called Clothes to You that supplies low-income families with free attire. The non-profit organization resonated closely with me as my tribe, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, suffers from severe financial hardships, and realizing how life changing an organization such as this could be I promptly accepted her offer. On designated days we drove the mobile van to predetermined locations and transformed the desolate parking lot to a bustling shopping center. People of all ages filled the aisles and I assisted shoppers searching for outfits as varied as interview

For years, it had been my goal to work at a nonprofit. I slowly worked toward this goal by obtaining my Master of Accountancy at Truman State University and doing a variety of volunteer work along the way. I won the Sister Ann Kessler annual community service scholarship

My journey through my undergraduate career has not been smooth. During my freshmen year, I performed very well in my classes. With this newfound confidence, I decided to take part in more extracurricular activities during my sophomore year. Growing up in a small, predominantly white community, I was rarely exposed to diversity. Thus, in my college experience, I hoped to learn more about people from different backgrounds and connect with students that have a similar culture to my own. Fortunately, Loyola University Chicago’s diverse environment allowed me to do this and I became more involved in Loyola’s South Asian Student Alliance (SASA) and Hindu Student Organization (HSO). I also began working so I could help my parents with college finances.

Throughout High School, I led multiple philanthropic projects. As president of the Ignite Organization, I involved students to raise funds for, and volunteer at a pregnancy center. I assembled a team of volunteers, and initiated fundraisers. This effort transpired over a year and continues to affect my community. I also developed a supply-drive to assist Hurricane Sandy victims through benefit events. Furthermore, I volunteered at summer camps as well as at my Parish as a counselor.

I took advantage of the opportunity; while other students laughed and giggled I took notes, asked questions (a hard feat for an introvert), and took a more hands on approach to my bourgeoning success. I maintained my academic success throughout the summer courses, Saturday sessions, and after school tutoring provided by Upward Bound. Upward Bound has stressed the importance of becoming more productive citizens by inspiring us to help our community and prosper in our academic endeavors. Perhaps the most involving team project I have participated in this Trio Program was Live United Day of Action volunteer service. The official Live United Day of Action is on June 21 and it’s a day that encourages people to take the pledge and make a change in their community. While in Upward Bound I took fifteen Honors courses, received a CPR license, Microsoft Specialist Certification, CNA licenses, and took the initiative to volunteer at

Due to my parents’ lack of community involvement, I was unaware of the positive impact I could cause within my community until my peers introduced to me to service events during middle school. I learned the powers I held to make a positive impact in family, community, and ultimately myself. I volunteered with Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) to tutor the Spanish-speaking

During this past Autumn quarter, I had the opportunity to participate in service-learning through the Steans Center with the All Stars Project of Chicago. The All Stars Project of Chicago is a grassroots non-profit organization who transforms the lives of youth in poor communities by using the power of performance. The All Stars Project believes in channeling creativity in marginalized youth to result in positive development. I started volunteering with the All Stars in September and currently am an active volunteer. With the All Stars, I served as a community outreach team member and as an office team member. Working in both areas allowed me to see how all parts of the All Stars organization functions and allowed me to interact with both the All Stars staff and directly with the youth with whom they work with.

Throughout my career in the social sector I worked with a variety of for-profit companies; over the last few years I’ve noticed interesting trends. Corporations are changing how they structure and evaluate philanthropic partnerships and fewer and fewer organizations are opting to donate through traditional methods. Social entrepreneurs are even