Supporting my community through service is really important to me. Since the beginning of high school, I’ve volunteered nearly 100 hour hours at the Boys and Girls of San Francisco tutoring weekly in math and reading, supervising youth during summer camp, leading games and activities, planning a Halloween festival for ~100 kids (see mummy rolling contest video below!), and organizing a snack drive for 2,500 kids during Covid when the Clubs opened to children of essential workers. 

I have truly grown as a person volunteering at The Boys and Girls Club. I realize how it has given me the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and become more assertive. Working with high-energy children can be difficult, so I learned quickly that if I wanted them to listen to me, I couldn’t be timid. Now I’ve gotten a lot of practice speaking up in a more confident tone and making my voice heard. I have also challenged myself to initiate conversation which doesn’t come naturally to me at first because starting conversations with people you don’t know (even kids!) can be uncomfortable. However, I’ve learned from this experience that people are more likely to listen and respect you, if they know you. This motivated me to get to know the children and let them get to know me. 

Working at the Boys and Girls Club has also been a formative experience for me because the members of the club come from very different backgrounds from me and the people I’m typically surrounded by. Generally, these members don’t have as much access to resources and have gone through a lot in their short lives. One particular moment that touched me was when one of the kids told me about how their dad left them and they now sleep in a bed every night with multiple family members. 

I know that sometimes the kids just need someone they can talk to, and I feel honored that they trust me to share about what’s happening in their home life. What I have also appreciated is the interaction I’ve had with my peers (Club teens), learning how they’ve overcome serious hardship and channeled their positive energy into academics and social justice. They are incredibly inspiring, and no matter how tired I am when I arrive to volunteer, my spirits are always lifted by the energy of the kids.