My first legitimate volunteering experience was during my freshman year of high school. Having the desire to strengthen my high school résumé and to experience some meaningful service, I participated in an annual trip through my school to a small community in El Portillo, Nicaragua. In El Portillo, I had the opportunity to connect with the locals and gain a better understanding of their culture.
I was apprehensive at first about going on the trip. Traveling to a foreign land to do service with people I didn’t really know was frightening. However, the experiences I had in El Portillo were worth the anxiety. It was a truly eye-opening experience. I helped with the construction of a local schoolhouse, socialized and played with the students who would use the building and truly got to experience what it was like to live in a different culture.
When our time in Nicaragua was coming to a close, I didn’t want to leave. I had created great relationships with both the people of El Portillo, as well as with classmates. My service had meant something both abroad and to my community back home. The experiences that volunteering on this trip provided were truly incredible.
Today, I feel like volunteering has a completely different meaning. Countless numbers of students engage in volunteer work, with the common reason being to strengthen one’s résumé and to “give back” to the community. Currently, when someone says “oh, I’m doing some volunteering,” people become disinterested as this is such a common activity. It has become too commonplace and in some ways less appreciated. It’s upsetting. I believe that service means something, even if it’s giving back in a small way. You don’t have to travel to an exotic place to help a person in need. Additionally, you don’t have to be part of an influential group. All you need is yourself. Every community has a demand for volunteering in some shape or form, and it’s so easy to get involved. An opportunity could be waiting for you practically anywhere, from your hometown to your college town.
Furthermore, you don’t have to constantly showcase your service to your peers. The only person that needs to know is you. Social media today has become an outlet for individuals to boast about their volunteering accomplishments. This is unnecessary. Sure, it’s sometimes fun to take photos while volunteering to document the experience, but ultimately you should be focused on the task at hand, not a photograph.
Everyone should have the opportunity sometime in their lives to provide vital help to those in serious need. It’s quite valuable. Volunteering experiences help individuals become more grounded and mentally stimulated. It also helps to relieve stress that surrounds people’s lives. You experience a boost in confidence since you’re able to make unique new friends and expand networking and social skills. Ultimately, volunteering can give you purpose while heightening health and happiness.
I was lucky enough to have the means to attend a mission trip in Nicaragua in high school. However, I know some cannot be part of a trip like that for various reasons. That shouldn't stop people from finding other ways to give back. Your service has the same weight regardless of where you do it. Since I currently don’t have ample amounts of time and the means to go on multiple service trips, I have tried to give back more locally. Some examples from my past include working in an autistic student classroom, tutoring middle schoolers in math and english and volunteering at the Food Bank of America in Harlem. Each experience differs, however they were all able to provide me with such fulfillment.
UW offers the Badger Volunteers programs, where any student can be part of countless volunteering opportunities each semester. Opportunities like this excite me since it’s so easy to become involved.
If you’re thinking about volunteering in whatever shape or form, do it. You will not be sorry. It can bring genuine joy. Once you are part of something you’ll see that it will be far from being classified as a chore. It will become an activity that you look forward to. So, next time someone hints at volunteering being cliché, don’t believe it. You service means everything to someone, and at the end of the day that is what counts.
Leila is a sophomore. Do you agree with her that people's reasons for volunteering have become more about personal gain than genuinely helping people? Let us know at opinion@dailycardinal.com. 
