Volunteer Essay-Isabella Love by Isabella
Isabella's entry into Varsity Tutor's April 2022 scholarship contest
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Volunteer Essay-Isabella Love by Isabella - April 2022 Scholarship Essay
I had always known that there was something ‘different’ about my brother Vinny. He was very quirky and mostly kept to himself. One night, my mom looked me dead in the eyes, and she told me Vinny had Aspergers. Initially, my heart sunk.
Growing up in my house was not always easy. Early on, I never understood why Vinny would get all of the attention from my parents. He completed simple tasks and he was praised. Conversely, I earned straight A’s and my efforts would go unnoticed. It took me many years to understand that Vinny needed that extrinsic praise as motivation. At that time, I thought my parents just did not care about me. My parents explained later that they did not want to praise me for everything I did because they did not want to make my brother feel ‘less’ because he was not accomplishing similar tasks.
I looked up to my brother Viinny because nothing came easy to him, but he remained positive. He never made the varsity hockey team or ASB. He only had one close friend and they were never invited to social events. Nevertheless, nothing ever got him down.
In his senior year of high school, he desperately wanted to join ASB and bring his enthusiasm to the school culture. He was so excited because most seniors make ASB. However, when the list came out, his name was not on it. He was absolutely devastated. The next day at school, he was able to put on a ‘happy face’ as he believed that everything happens for a reason.
Vinny has inspired me; he is the reason I am self-motivated; I am driven to bring Aspergers awareness to the community. Most importantly, I want people to know that not all disabilities are visible.
Because of Vinny, I have been involved in the Unified Sports Club all four (4) years of high school. The Unified Sports Club is a branch of the Special Olympics Southern California. In the club we play sports with the special needs students at our high school. Vinny and I volunteered every Wednesday at lunch. He was a coach and I was a player. In my freshman year of high school, I participated in the school's first ever Unified Sports basketball game. In my sophomore year, I participated in the Unified Sports track meet. Two (2) special needs students and two “typical” kids ran the 4x100m relay. During that moment, I made the conscious decision to take over the club for the following school year. In my junior year, I became President of the club. We had to meet virtually that year due to the Covid pandemic, but I would zoom into the class every Wednesday at lunch, and would interact with the students through dancing videos. As a senior, I have remained as the Unified Sports Club President. So far, I have organized the school's first ever Unified Homecoming King. Additionally, during an away football game two (2) Unified Sports students were chosen to be the captains of the football team for the night. I feel like I am making a difference in promoting inclusivity within our school!
Growing up with a sibling who has special needs was not easy, but Vinny inspired me in many ways. Working in the community through the Unified Sports Club is something that I enjoy and learn from daily. In college, I plan to continue spreading the message of inclusion. I will continue to be an advocate for the special needs community. Furthermore, I intend to spread awareness of Aspergers for the remainder of my life. Inclusivity and the promotion of it has brought me joy. Finally, this service continues to foster my intrinsic motivation to serve others without the extrinsic praise that I sought in my formative years. For that, I owe my courageous brother... Vinny!