Jackie Robinson once said “A life is not important except in its impact on other lives”. I have adopted his words and made them my mantra. Of course, I have not always felt that way.
At Miami Coral Park, the high school I attend, students are required to complete over thirty hours of community service in order to graduate. I started working on this requirement during the summer of 2006, my freshman year. My mother registered me as a volunteer at Miami Children’s Hospital. She said it would be “a great experience”.
As I walked through the doors of Miami Children's Hospital, I thought about the chore that lay ahead. I did not want to deal with the sadness associated with hospitals. I did not want to be around death. That summer I volunteered for more than forty hours and walked out those same doors feeling better about myself than I ever had. As usual, my mother was right. Volunteering became my passion.
Throughout my high school years, I have worked with many non-profit organizations such as Caring About The Strays (CATS), Fairy Tails, The SPCA Wildlife Care Center and Hands on Miami. No quote can better define my sense of service than Mr. Robinson's. It is because I truly believe that my importance is dependent on the impact I have on other lives that I give the only thing I can, my time. I care for cats and kittens that have no one and just want to be loved. I care for birds who will spend their entire lives in captivity because they have seen the worst side of human beings. I have stood knee deep in trash and cleaned up our state parks and beaches, walked and bathed dogs looking for a permanent home, and organized book and toy drives for terminally ill children.
And yet I feel that I have gained far more than I have given. With each hour I devoted to volunteering, I became a better person. It is because of the help I have provided to every creature, human or not, that I have a greater appreciation for life and new found respect for myself. I owe them more than they could ever owe me.
As the end of my senior year approaches teachers and counselors talk to me about my wonderful grade point average, SAT and ACT scores. They are quick to congratulate me on my acceptance into the University of Florida and on my Silver Knight Award nomination. They tell me what wonderful accomplishments those are and how proud my mother must be. I smile and say "Thanks". However, I do not believe those to be my greatest accomplishments. At graduation I will wear an accessory few others will have. Around my neck a yellow cord will be draped. That yellow cord is given only to the students who complete eight hundred community service hours or more. My life is important because I have made a positive impact on another life. And that is my greatest accomplishment.
