Service Opens Doors

Throughout my life, I’ve had the privilege of volunteering through a variety of organizations. I’ve been involved in volunteer projects with tutoring, assisting those with special needs, community clean-up, landscaping, providing animal care, and more. Each of these opportunities has been unique in itself and has allowed me to gain greater love and appreciation for my community, nation, and the world as a whole. We are all part of one large global family.

Service and volunteering softens our hearts and allows us to understand those that are different from us. This is especially important in field of public relations as we seek to problem-solve among such diverse groups of publics. I have come to learn for myself that the more we seek to understand, the easier we can love and empathize. The more we desire to understand the individual person, the easier it is to discover their motivating self-interests, and create experiences or encourage dialogue that is effective for them.

Growing up in a Christian family, I attended church every Sunday and through my church I had the opportunity to engage in service projects from a young age. I remember waking up early Saturday mornings to go paint fire hydrants, clean up city parks, and repair structures at local elementary schools. My grandmothers are both very skilled quilters. I have fond memories of attending Humanitarian activities with them. We helped tie quilted blankets and prepare emergency aid kids for people suffering from natural disasters all over the world.

Starting high school, my basketball team went to downtown Sacramento to Mustard Seed School. This school is a “free private school for children ages 3-15 years-old who are currently homeless”.

This was the morning my 9th grade basketball team went to Mustard Seed School. We played with the children, toured their campus and interacted with the teachers. Then we lead the kids on a field trip to the Sacramento Zoo with a picnic lunch provided afterwards. It was a very special day!

Later, as a senior in high school, I served as Student Body President. Our activities director came to me saying that we needed to think of some way to increase charitable experiences in our community. Earlier in the year we had worked with Make a Wish foundation to grant a wish to a young boy in our community suffering from cancer. With the desire to remain community-focused, we decided to engage in a staff basketball with our rival school. We required a minimum donation at the door, and conducted a raffle during the game that lead to prizes. All proceeds were donated to the Mustard Seed School. This donated money went towards buying school supplies, backpacks, and breakfast/lunch items for the children. That was the first time I got to really lead my own service project and it was unforgettable.

---

Coming to Brigham Young University, I knew I wanted to continue giving back. Beyond college, I plan to continue to find ways to volunteer of my time, talents, and resources in order to become a more understanding member of society as well as to provide relief to those who need it most. I believe that increasing my opportunities for volunteer work will help me in fostering a diverse workplace environment, and deepen the connection I develop with my clients in the PR professional world.