Finding Joy Through Community Service by Tennyson

Finding Joy Through Community Service by Tennyson - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

As a young child I thought of community service as a forced action for those who have done wrong. My limited understanding of community service was donating food, picking up trash, and dumping clothes at Goodwill. Although all these types of services are beneficial it wasn't until I grew older, that my horizons were broadened and eyes opened as I realized a vital part of community service is outreach. By serving those less fortunate, we are providing them with opportunities and hope that they can begin to live the life they have always imagined.
At ages 7 and 9, my older sister and I ventured out on Christmas day, with a volunteer group we organized, to aid the Portland, Oregon homeless. Spending part of this holiday handing out numerous backpacks to the people living alongside Portland streets changed my original, innocent view of community service, and inspired me to look for new and uplifting ways to help others in whatever way I could. As I entered high school, I began thinking of additional ways I could give back to the community.
From 2021-2023, I tutored elementary students online. I learned how to use my academic strengths to help younger students gain confidence and motivation in their studies, and I truly enjoyed the personal connections I made with the students. Through these experiences, I quickly became passionate about my choice of volunteer work, and I knew I wanted to take this newfound excitement and run with it. Unfortunately, COVID-19 made pursuing in-person service opportunities quite difficult, so I was forced to wait for new opportunities to arise. Finally, after two years of tutoring online, I was offered a position through my high school to assist elementary and middle school students with all subjects.
When I walked into the tutoring classroom for the first time, I saw a bunch of young children with low self-esteem, and little motivation to complete their lessons. I had to work to get to know each student and discover ways to reach them on an individual basis. I learned the best method to assist each student personally with their homework.
Over the past few months, I have seen many students’ love for learning reignited! Many of them have caught up on missing assignments, found new friends, and regained their self-confidence; not just in the classroom but within themselves. I am proud to be a part of something bigger than myself and my personal group of friends. By helping these students find their joy again, I have also found mine, and am excited to pursue my goals of becoming an athletic trainer and continuing to help others after I complete my early college program this spring.