Since Freshman year I have worked with peers in my school who have intellectual and/or physical disabilities - and it didn’t take long for this experience to become one of the most important and rewarding aspects of my life. Since my freshman year of high school, I have been an active member of Best Buddies - as seeing them overcome obstacles and adversity to succeed socially, physically, or mentally has been purely amazing to witness and something that I look forward to daily. Now as a senior, I have been granted the President role where I am actively working to grow and expand upon the baseline we have made thus far. Being trusted with the responsibility to get the club to its highest potential is something that I cherish every single day. With this, not only have I gained an immense amount of skill regarding efficient leadership, managing finances, putting an event together, and communicating and working with others - but I have also learned how rewarding it is to simply put a smile on someone else's face. Something else I have great pride in has to do with my involvement in the National Honors Society. My hard work in school & community service was rewarded during my Junior year of high school with a spot in the Fitchburg High School chapter of the National Honors Society. Now as a senior, I am well aware of how much of a role model I have become to the new inductees. I have already begun taking them through the basic jobs they may be assigned throughout the year. In doing this, I have created blocks of knowledge in their minds regarding what they are expected to do as an active member, and how it should be done. On my own, I lead a group in organizing the food pantry and putting together “holiday bags” for the upcoming Christmas break, I speak to middle school students about their future and the importance of putting in hard work, and I am an active member at a local Elementary school after school program. Although arguably the most challenging act of service I have completed, it is by far the most rewarding. Here, I spend my afternoons with kids, grades 2-5, and assist them in activities ranging from homework needs to a game of ‘Guess Who.’ By being this role model for the upcoming class of NHS members, I am confident that they will learn and continue the amazing work we have given so far. Giving back to my community is something that I have learned to love - I hope others find that as well. Throughout High School, I have made it a priority to support others as much as I can. Whether this be my peers, my community, or my teammates. Being able to give back to those who allowed me to get this far in the first place is something that I cherish greatly. I have learned to love it. I plan to continue this work as I go through college purely because I enjoy doing it. My main goal moving forward is to find familiarity within the immense amount of change I am going to face. With this being said, I plan on finding additional volunteer opportunities to keep myself on the right track. I am immensely grateful for finding my place in giving back - something that I wish others would find.