Initially taking it as a school assignment, I had my first volunteer experience at a local Chinese language class, a class for American adults who are interested in learning Chinese. Being a native Chinese speaker, I had the opportunity to tutor some renowned college professors, businessmen and engineers that were twice or three times of my age. At first, I thought I was only going to work for twenty hours, get the community service slips signed, make the school happy and then phase out. However, my attitude changed in just a few weeks. I became drawn to these curious students and a newfound love of teaching. There are many reasons I enjoy volunteering at the language class. I feel accomplished when I pour my knowledge on them like watering plants. I feel useful when I answer their questions, like shedding sunlight in their knowledge. I feel proud when they understand the lessons very quickly, like finally reaping the fruits of my labor. It is amazing how much of a positive impact I can make on others and while doing so, I discover an incredible satisfaction.

Now I have been going to the language class for four years. All of my friends know that the three hours of my Saturday afternoon are strictly reserved for community service. When an event, such as a friend’s party, collides with my class, I choose to go after class. Some people don’t understand why a high schooler like me would choose community service over spending time with friends. They don’t know that I can catch up with my friends any other day, but it’s much harder to make it up to the people who drive all the way (some from another city) to learn a difficult language from ME. I learned a lot about responsibility and time management from volunteering. It is good practice for me, which I believe will serve me well in college.

The atmosphere in the classroom is wonderful. Many of my students hold either a master or a doctor degree, but they respect me like a real teacher, not a child at their daughters’ age. My teaching experience has definitely made me more mature in terms of communicating and acknowledging feelings. As one student said to me, “you don’t look like you are in high school.” I felt so honored. Though my students may not know, they’ve taught me more than I’ve taught them.

Language class has prompted me to expand my service such as volunteer at a nursing home and an elementary school. Once, I signed up to pick up trash along the expressway. It was a winter morning; my whole body was half-frozen. I continually asked myself why I would get up early on a weekend to suffer the coldness. As I was dreading the decision, a car that drove by honked at me. They didn’t know me, but as they saw me picking up trash for the benefit of the community, they honked as a show of appreciation. That made my day. I was so happy because a stranger genuinely appreciated my hard work. At the same time, I grew increasing gratitude toward those who serve us in small ways, like mailmen and janitors.

My least favorite volunteering experience was when I did manicures for the old ladies at the nursing home. There was a lot of yellow-brownish gunk under their nails, and my job was to clean them. I managed to get the gooey stuff out with the help of toothpicks, but the smell was bad enough to make me regret the lunch I had an hour ago. Nevertheless, I understand their difficulties. These ladies didn’t intend to be untidy; they simply can’t take care of themselves because they are either disabled or mentally ill. I thought about my own grandparents; I should do manicures for them too when I have the chance.

Community service has a significant impact on my life. It taught me that in this world we are destined to make a difference no matter how unimportant we now seen to be. It is the mission of humanity that we are fulfilling. The meaningfulness of life also inspired me to complete several projects outside school. During the summer of my sophomore year, I interviewed five farmers in a poor village in China with the help of my dad. I asked them how much they make in a year and what specific problems they with poverty. I followed up with a research paper on how Chinese government should give the poor medicaid and allow their children to go to school for free. I'm also currently involved in an affordable housing project. My five partners and I researched on geothermal heating, landscape architecture and all sorts of areas dealing with sustainability. We also work with Habitat for Humanity, our biggest sponsor. We have had several meetings with some leaders in the green movement, and we just recently took a trip to the headquarters of Habitat for Humanity. The reason I work on geothermal heating and cooling is that I know many people out there can’t afford expensive heating in the winter. I want to have geothermal system installed in low-come families because it reduces annual energy bills by almost 70%. We must realize that there are many things we can do in this world. It’s not always easy to get on our foot and do the things we’ve already planned, and many problems like world hunger won’t be solved in the near future, but the impression that we care and we try is a huge deal.