This is a Worthwhile Life by Kayla

This is a Worthwhile Life by Kayla - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

As children, we are blessed with bright eyes and open hearts. One of the painful truths of this world is that the latter often fades with time. We become so absorbed in our own goals and ambitions that we do not often take a step back and do things for people that are not ourselves. These sentiments are what motivates me every day to be a better person than I was the day before and to give my time to make even the smallest of differences for all that is within my reach. I wear many hats at my high school, from being at the top of my class to being the president of numerous organisations. Through these groups, I have had many chances to get involved in my community, which I have often taken advantage of. One particularly striking opportunity arose for me, just this past October, that aided in fostering my own sense of impact. The event itself was relatively simple; a friend and I took the responsibility of giving up our time during the school day to help out with the American Red Cross blood drive that was going to occur. On the outside, it may have seemed shallow, for the job simply included assisting with people checking in for their appointment to donate blood. Looking back on the day, however, I still experience a sense of fulfilment.
My daily routine is fairly simple, though because of the way it is set up, I have classes with a lot of the same people all day long. So when it came time for me to work the blood drive, there were many of my so-called peers that I had never really seen or spoken to before, and for many of the students that were of age to donate, they simply wanted to do it to get out of class. Upon their arrival, they would still be joking around with their friends, happy to have escaped class for a little while. It was at this moment that my job would begin, mimicking a receptionist in explaining how they were to log into the computer system and read through the required information about the procedure itself. Many of them would go and sit down to read and would come back a few minutes later. Upon their return, I would be faced with expressions construed with seriousness, and often anxiety as well. Many of them had questions that I would answer efficiently and calmly to reassure them that the choice they were making was a good one. I would detail how the cause they were giving to was a noble one, and that what little pain there might be would be worth it in the end. When they would come back up to me to check-out afterwards, they would express just that.
Only a day’s work of community service may not mean much to others, but it does to me, especially that day in particular. I felt fulfilled to see the smile on everyone’s faces after they gave blood, that feeling of contentment that they had done something worthwhile. I have given blood in the past, and remember that feeling well, and it was just as gratifying to see it on the faces of others and know that I played a part in that. My friend that I worked alongside and I did a relatively boring job. We gave up our entire day to help where we could and had to play catch-up for the next week in making up what work we missed. Though we did the job no one else wanted to volunteer for, I truly believe that it was worth it. I was able to play a vital hand in a process that has the potential to save the lives of many, and that is incredibly humbling in and of itself. My aim is to do more in the future and be able to promote this mentality of the importance of fostering a greater good on a large scale. In the poetic words of Albert Einstein, “Only a life lived for others is worthwhile.”