Serve the Community, Follow Your Heart

There is a myriad of community service groups in our school and people who are not satisfied with their current groups may want to switch to another group.

        We are already of full capacity, unable to add any more groups regarding community service. According Ms. Smith, there is a total of thirteen community service groups, not counting their smaller subdivisions. The PTA and other funding resources try to support as many as possible, but their budget simply does not match the demand.

        Then why are people desiring to join or quit? According to 10th grader Jimmy Park, there are “some community service groups where the coordinators force the freshmen to do all the work while they barely do any”. Thus he is very circumspect in deciding his new community service group.

        There are various reasons that cause people to choose their community service groups. Jimmy says that he wants to join Roots and Shoots People this year, especially because he wants to spend more time with his brother who is graduating this year. He said, “if my brother graduates, I am planning to join either TEC or GIN.” Other than Jimmy’s case, there are more and more people who move along with their friends, ending up in a community service group they might not feel like serving.

        Granted, serving a community with your friends could be at first exciting. However, if community services are reckoned more valuably, people probably would not do so. There are very few instances for which people decide to go to college just because their friends go to the same one. Though community services may not be as momentous as university experience, they may be life-changing factors and opportunities which may not be given unless in high school. Universities, especially the prestigious ones, try to assess students’ vicissitudes of how a person lived. An inconsistent curve may indicate that the student did not lead his or her own life, potentially leading to the admissions’ rejection. So a person who does community service just for a few lines on the common application would probably at least have to choose a community service that could show his or her consistency.

        Then what should a student do initially to choose community service groups wisely? As aforementioned, there is a set limit to the number of community service groups in AISG, so there may not be a perfect match to every student’s ideals. Every community service has its pros and cons, and even a worthy community service may not reconcile with a student’s personalities or interests. In such case, you should first determine what your interests are and what type of person you are. If you enjoy conversing with others or want more cultural exchange, you could go to TEC. If you are interested in supporting endangered animals, Roots and Shoots Animals could be an option.

        Community service is a not just an option for you to fill your service hours in CAS nor is it just for a few more lines on college applications. Even as for coordinators, the position is not just a sinecure that could take you to college or a golden ticket to NHS. Community services can provide you with a life-changing opportunity which could tell you what to do for you entire remaining life. Experience more and challenge yourself constantly until you can find a place where you could devote yourself and invest time.