Pass It On by Elizabeth

Pass It On by Elizabeth - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

As time has gone by, I have been through different experiences and struggles in my life that have helped me to grow as a person. Ever since I was young I have been taught to appreciate the little things and to pass on kindness to others. Throughout high school I have become in multiple extracurricular and volunteer activities that have allowed me to do this. I plan to take the life lessons I have learned from my activities outside of the classroom and use them in college and throughout my entire life.
The main volunteer organization I have been active with that I feel has had the most influence on me would be Habitat for Humanity. With this organization, I have been able to help build homes for multiple families. The amazing part of this experience is that the families that the houses are being built for are working alongside the volunteers while building their home. This gives the whole project a deeper, personal aspect to it. Not only do the families have to put in hours building their own homes, but they also have to volunteer to help at other sites where other houses are being built. I volunteer because I realize how fortunate I am and I want to help other people who are struggling to get back on the right path to turn their life around. If I had to pick only one valuable lesson I learned through my volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, it would be to pass on the kindness you receive. These families that are having a house built for them always show how grateful they are for this opportunity to start anew. They pass on this kindness they have received from the organization by helping other families who are going through the same process. This forms a never ending cycle of what we commonly refer to as “passing it on”.
I have become so active in volunteering because I have experience struggles as well. Up until recently, my father had been unemployed for over two years. This took a toll on my family and opened my eyes to the hardships that many families are facing during this time of economic turmoil. So, although I may not have struggled as much as these families have, I still feel like I can somewhat relate. This is one of the reasons why I believe that every person should try to get involved in some type of volunteer work to try to help those in need. We never know when we could be in the same situation as them. This brings me to another important lesson which is commonly known as the “golden rule”, which is simply to do to others what you would want done to you. We must think, if we were in that kind of situation, whether we would want people to sit on the sidelines or take action to try to resolve this issue occurring in our community.
In total, I have done over one hundred and forty hours of volunteer work during high school with many different organizations. The organization that has made the biggest impact on my life, however, would be Habitat for Humanity. The gratitude and kindness shown by the families that we help build homes for encourages volunteers to continue doing this type of volunteer work. I also really like the “pass it on” aspect that the organization really puts a large emphasis on. I have also been able to actually see the golden rule in action in my community. We should all try to take some sort of action to help people going through these kinds of hardships because if we were to be in their situation we would want others to help us through our own struggles. I believe that these lessons will stick with me throughout my entire life and will help guide me in making a difference in my community.