Seven years ago, a newly graduated elementary school student was presented with a decision. Unlike other students, this decision had nothing to do with where I’d be going to school or what sports I wanted to play. It was a decision I made to follow in my dad’s footsteps to volunteer in the children’s ministry of my church (RTTN). At the time, this decision seemed meaningless, however, the 11-year-old me couldn’t have guessed how this decision would impact my life. Having grown up in a single parent home due to the death of my mother at an early age I realized life is not always going to be perfect. That experience, having people there to support my dad when he needed help, showed me the importance of thinking of others first and the impact volunteering can have in others’ lives. I have been volunteering in the children’s ministry of RTTN for 7 years now. My volunteer experience began as a Teacher’s Assistant and I was also given the opportunity to run the media for our children’s services. In addition to supporting the teacher’s classroom activities my media responsibilities consisted of preparing visual aids, microphones, and lights then running the audio/visual for the services. I performed these tasks every Sunday for 3 years until my responsibilities drastically changed. As a 14-year-old freshman my pastor, believing in my abilities, asked if I wanted to teach my own class and lead the media team. I was now going to teach a class of my own and begin training others how to run media for our services. This increased responsibility led to the simultaneous growth in my love for volunteering and truly developed me into the person I am today. My volunteer experience at RTTN has instilled in me the desire to mentor and become a role model for younger kids, the same as was done for me. The grade range of the kids I teach is from K – 5, providing the opportunity to develop close relationships with these kids over the past four years in and out of the church environment. I’ve attended some of the kids’ athletic events and coached them in basketball and have seen the impact it’s made in their lives when someone other than their parents show an interest in their life. The most rewarding experience for me has been as a camp counselor at our church week long summer camp. For many of these kids it’s the first time in their lives they have ever been away from their parents which for some is a very daunting experience. The learning experiences and memories these kids take with them from this one week impacts their lives forever and the bond formed with these kids is personally very rewarding. I don’t know what career path life has in store for me but there will always be time and a place for volunteering. The personal fulfillment of being a mentor and positive role model in these kids’ lives is unapparelled.

Having grown up in a single parent home due to the death of my mother at age 7 I realized life is not always going to be perfect. That experience, having people there to support my dad when he needed help, showed me the importance of supporting others facing difficult situations and the impact it can have in their lives. This, along with watching my dad volunteer in the children’s ministry of our church instilled a work ethic and desire in me to also volunteer, becoming a mentor and role model for younger kids at our church. I started at age 11 as a Teacher’s Assistant and was also given the opportunity to run the media for our children’s services. As a 14-year-old freshman my pastor, believing in my abilities, asked if I wanted to teach my own class and lead the media team. This increased responsibility provided the opportunity to truly make an impact in these kids’ lives, ranging in age from 5 thru 12. I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and have completed the requirements to receive my AP Capstone diploma through my junior year but that accomplishment is unapparelled to fulfillment received of being a positive role model and mentor to these kids. As my career advances I plan to continue my mentoring of children, providing direction and an opportunity to learn from my life experiences. I believe there is nothing more important than giving of one's time to support and encourage today's youth to follow their passion, especially those who have faced adversity in their lives at a young age. I look forward to the day I'm also in the position to establish a scholarship fund in support of their academic needs.

Having grown up in a single parent home due to the death of my mother at age 7 I realized life is not always going to be perfect. That experience, having people there to support my dad when he needed help, showed me the importance of supporting others facing difficult situations and the impact it can have in their lives. This, along with watching my dad volunteer in the children’s ministry of our church instilled a work ethic and desire in me to also volunteer, becoming a mentor and role model for younger kids at our church. I started at age 11 as a Teacher’s Assistant and was also given the opportunity to run the media for our children’s services. As a 14-year-old freshman my pastor, believing in my abilities, asked if I wanted to teach my own class and lead the media team. This increased responsibility provided the opportunity to truly make an impact in these kids’ lives, ranging in age from 5 thru 12 I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and have completed the requirements to receive my AP Capstone diploma through my junior year but that accomplishment is unapparelled to fulfillment received of being a positive role model and mentor to these kids. As my career advances I plan to continue my mentoring of children, providing direction and an opportunity to learn from my life experiences. I believe there is nothing more important than giving of one's time to support and encourage today's youth to follow their passion, especially those who have faced adversity in their lives at a young age. I look forward to the day I'm also in the position to establish a scholarship fund in support of their academic needs.

Seven years ago, a newly graduated elementary school student was presented with a decision. Unlike other students, this decision had nothing to do with where I’d be going to school or what sports I wanted to play. It was a decision I made to follow in my dad’s footsteps to volunteer in the children’s ministry of my church (RTTN). At the time, this decision seemed meaningless, however, the 11-year-old me couldn’t have guessed how this decision would impact my life. Having grown up in a single parent home due to the death of my mother at an early age I realized life is not always going to be perfect. That experience, having people there to support my dad when he needed help, showed me the importance of thinking of others first and the impact volunteering can have in others’ lives. I have been volunteering in the children’s ministry of RTTN for 7 years. My volunteer experience began as a Teacher’s Assistant and I was also given the opportunity to run the media for our children’s services. In addition to supporting the teacher’s classroom activities my media responsibilities consisted of preparing visual aids, microphones, and lights then running the audio/visual for the services. I performed these tasks every Sunday for 3 years until my responsibilities drastically changed. As a 14-year-old freshman my pastor, believing in my abilities, asked if I wanted to teach my own class and lead the media team. I was now responsible for teaching my own class and training others how to run media for our services. This increased responsibility led to the simultaneous growth in my love for volunteering and truly developed me into the person I am today. My volunteer experience at RTTN has instilled the desire to mentor and become a role model for younger kids, the same as was done for me. The grade range of the kids I teach is from K – 5, providing the opportunity to develop close relationships with these kids over the past four years in and out of the church environment. I’ve attended their athletic events and coached them in basketball and have seen the impact it’s made in their lives when someone other than their parents show an interest in their life. The most rewarding experience for me has been as a camp counselor at our church week long summer camp. For many of these kids it’s the first time in their lives they have ever been away from their parents which for some is a very daunting experience. The learning experiences and memories these kids take with them from this one week impacts their lives forever and the bond formed with these kids is personally very rewarding. I don’t know what career path life has in store for me but I do know there will always be time and a place for volunteering. I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and have completed the requirements to receive my AP Capstone diploma through my junior year but that accomplishment is unapparelled to fulfillment received of being a positive role model and mentor to these kids. As my career advances I plan to continue my mentoring of children, providing direction and an opportunity to learn from my life experiences. I believe there is nothing more important than giving of one's time to support and encourage today's youth to follow their passion, especially those who have faced adversity in their lives at a young age. I look forward to the day I'm also in the position to establish a scholarship fund in support of their academic needs.

Having grown up in a single parent home due to the death of my mother at age 7 I realized life is not always going to be perfect. That experience, having people there to support my dad when he needed help, showed me the importance of supporting others facing difficult situations and the impact it can have in their lives. This, along with watching my dad volunteer in the children’s ministry of our church instilled a work ethic and desire in me to also volunteer, becoming a mentor and role model for younger kids at our church. I started at age 11 as a Teacher’s Assistant and was also given the opportunity to run the media for our children’s services. As a 14-year-old freshman my pastor, believing in my abilities, asked if I wanted to teach my own class and lead the media team. This increased responsibility provided the opportunity to truly make an impact in these kids’ lives. The grade range I’ve taught is from K – 5, which has allowed me to develop close relationships with the kids over the past four years in and out of the church environment. I’ve attended some of their athletic events and coached them in basketball and have seen the impact it’s made when someone other than their parents show an interest in their life. I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and have completed the requirements to receive my AP Capstone diploma through my junior year but that accomplishment is unapparelled to fulfillment received of being a positive role model and mentor to these kids. As my career advances I plan to continue my mentoring of children, providing direction and an opportunity to learn from my life experiences. I believe there is nothing more important than giving of one's time to support and encourage today's youth to follow their passion, especially those who have faced adversity in their lives at a young age. I look forward to the day I'm also in the position to establish a scholarship fund in support of their academic needs.