Volunteering

In Spring 2019, I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at Riley. I worked in the library and my duties mainly consisted of taking a cart full of books and movies around to all the different rooms and checking material out to patients and their families. This was a life-changing experience and taught me many things. First and foremost, it taught me how to interact with people going through a hard time in their life and how to make that trying period a little easier. I also learned the importance of communication skills in a medical setting and I strengthened mine immensely during my tenure at Riley.

At the beginning of my college freshman year, I volunteered with the Honor's College at an event called Hancock County Promise hosted at IUPUI's Carrol Stadium. This event was a field day for Kindergarteners from a nearby elementary school. At our station, we played a game that involved basic words that were in the shape of eggs and the children had to flip them over with a spatula. I really enjoy interacting with kids so this service project was a blast. I learned more how to talk and have fun with children and had some great conversations with parents and teachers. This event was a great learning experience since I hope to become a pediatrician in the future.

Noble, Growing Places Indy, Regatta Set-Up, JITS:Wheeler Mission, VIDA Tabling- These volunteer experiences all had their own unique experiences, but they all taught me similar lessons and experiences. My main takeaway was the importance of helping others and bettering the community. I improved upon skills of communication, teamwork, and leadership by interacting with people I was volunteering with as well as people I was volunteering for. All of these experiences had a positive impact on my life and I would not hesitate to do them again.