Volunteer Hours by Eli

Volunteer Hours by Eli - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Earlier this year, my high school went to our middle school to talk with them about the different pathways that they could choose when they get to high school. I have been in SkillsUSA for the past four years. I have participated in many areas of SkillsUSA but I have excelled in the welding pathway. My instructor asked me if I would like the opportunity to speak to middle schoolers about the welding pathway. To prepare for my presentation, I helped design and make a poster to show welding safety, welding processes and equipment. I also welded a metal stand to display the poster I had designed. During the presentation at the middle school, I talked to the students about the benefits and opportunities you can get from taking a welding class. The students were then given the opportunity to ask questions and I tried to answer them to the best of my ability. I used my experience and love of welding to excite the middle schoolers and hopefully encourage them to try the welding pathway.

I learned a lot from this opportunity. I learned to step outside of my comfort zone and speak in front of a lot of people. I learned to take the initiative and create a visual poster to give them a quick overview of a very in depth process. The biggest lesson I learned from this volunteer opportunity was that I am not made for teaching. By that, I mean I would rather show someone how to do something instead of just speaking about it.