Center

any editing suggestions? thank you!

As a —— Medical Center volunteer I compile new admit packets, assist the unit secretary with basic administrative work, clerical duties, and answer call lights. Volunteering in a hospital has influenced my decision on being a Pre-Med student. Moreover, being an intern at a biotech company allows me to work alongside highly skilled scientists who build disease models for oncology, cardiovascular, inflammation and metabolic diseases. Interning at —–, Inc. I conducted media changes and counted cells as well as eliminated the risk of cell contamination. My internship at ——-, Inc. enhanced my prospective as a student researcher and helped me understand medicine on a molecular level.
While I enjoy volunteering and interning I consider tutoring children in the Latino community to be the most rewarding. I have tutored at ——. As an active member of my community I help children with their history and science courses. Tutoring children in the Latino community allows me to engage with their parents and reiterate the importance of higher education.

As a volunteer at a hospital I understand the importance of giving back to my community. During my experience as a volunteer at —— Medical Center I realize that volunteering my time to patients is something I will to continue throughout my undergraduate career. In 2015 I will continue volunteering, tutoring and attending community events. In five years I will have traveled to Asia and South America along with returned to a once visited country, ——-. Academically, I will have commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and earned a bachelor degree with successful completion of a MCAT prep course.
In the year 2020 I will attend my first solo exhibition reception in —–, California. Aside from my passion for medicine—painting is a therapeutic hobby of mine that I am fortunate to excel in. As an active officer of the military in 2020 I will be enjoying my time back home in the —–. In ten years from now I will still be an artist and a hardworking student in a residency program at a hospital overseas.
Thereafter at the age of 38 in the year 2025 I will be a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon in the US Military. I will own a gallery and rent the space to up and coming artists from all over the world. Conclusively, I am now taking the next step in life to challenge myself in illustrating my passion through knowledge. I am reminded that knowledge is never selfish and should be used to help those in need. Lastly, with the assistance various degrees, internships, fellowships and work experience from military and civilian life I will have reached my ultimate dream—happiness.

As a —— Medical Center volunteer I compile new admit packets, assist the unit secretary with basic administrative work, clerical duties, and answer call lights. Volunteering in a hospital has influenced my decision on being a Pre-Med student. Moreover, being an intern at a biotech company allows me to work alongside highly skilled scientists who build disease models for oncology, cardiovascular, inflammation and metabolic diseases. Interning at —–, Inc. I conducted media changes and counted cells as well as eliminated the risk of cell contamination. My internship at ——-, Inc. enhanced my PERSPECTIVE as a student researcher and helped me understand medicine on a molecular level.
While I enjoy volunteering and interning I consider tutoring children in the Latino community to be the most rewarding. I have tutored at ——. As an active member of my community I help children with their history and science courses. Tutoring children in the Latino community allows me to engage with their parents and reiterate the importance of higher education.

As a volunteer at a hospital I understand the importance of giving back to my community. During my experience as a volunteer at —— Medical Center I realize that volunteering my time to patients is something I will to continue throughout my undergraduate career. In 2015 I will continue volunteering, tutoring and attending community events. In five years I will have traveled to Asia and South America AND WILL HAVE REVISITED ANOTHER COUNTRY, NAMELY________ (IF IT"S ASIA OR SOUTH AMERICA, MAYBE LEAVE IT OUT) , ——-. Academically, I will have BEEN commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and earned a bachelor degree with successful completion of MCAT (SPELL OUT THE ACRONYM THEN PUT MCAT IN PARENTHESIS) prep course.
In the year 2020 I will attend my first solo exhibition reception (RECEPTION IN WHAT? SPECIFY) in —–, California. Aside from my passion for medicine, (COMMA) painting is a therapeutic hobby of mine IN WHICH I AM FORTUNATE TO EXCEL. As an active officer of the military in 2020, (COMMA) I will be enjoying my time back home in the —–. (DELETE IN) Ten years from now I will still be an artist and a hardworking student in a residency program at a hospital overseas.
Thereafter at the age of 38 in the year 2025 I will be a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon in the US Military. I will own a gallery and rent the space to up-and-coming (ADD HYPHENS) artists from all over the world. Conclusively, I am now taking the next step in life to challenge myself in illustrating my passion through knowledge. I am reminded that knowledge is never selfish and should be used to help those in need. Lastly, with the assistance OF various degrees, internships, fellowships and work experience from military and civilian life, (COMMA) I will have reached my ultimate dream—happiness.

GENERAL COMMENT: I think you are a very good writer, but it was confusing to me to read your essay. In the beginning, you need to state what your purpose is in a summary fashion and then give examples to support that generality or purpose. In the first sentence, you’ve launched with examples. What are the examples are supporting? Re-read it from the perspective of the reader. Where would they get confused? Do they have the big picture? Give big picture statements and then illustrate with specifics. For example: My past experiences make me highly qualified for the intern position at ___________. Many examples support this. I volunteered at …… Then give examples of why this is so. But first we need to see the forest, then we need to see the trees. First you need to give the reader a roadmap of where you’re going in your essay, and then give examples along the way – but then the readers will understand where you are going without wondering, what does this example of painting, working with Latinos, what I plan to do in the future, etc. have to do with applying for an intern position?

Good luck! I hope you get it.

- Number 1 in my middle school
- Valedictorian in my middle school
- Straight A’s since the 7th grade up till now.
- Number 6 out of all freshmens in high school
- My first semester grade in 9th grade was 4.333
- Volunteers at the community center
- Volunteers at the church to give out food for the poor/homeless every Wednesday to get hours (5-7 p.m.)
- In clubs/programs (Asian club, G.A.T.E. club, math club, Bright Prospects, Upward Bound, Medical Academy)
- I’m in track (long distance)
- I am taking Algebra 2 (skipped pre-algebra in the 7th grade and took algebra 1)
- I am in G.A.T.E. (Gifted and Talented Education)

I want to be a pediatrician when I grow up.
I am in high school.

Awww I don’t know how the schooling system works in USA, but it sounds like you have every good qualifications and strong experience, if UCLA doesn’t accept your application then it’s their loss to not have a fine student like you

Good luck my friend

I am turning 13 soon and I want to start working with children. I don’t want a career in day care or something like that but I’d like to work with small children before i reach university or college.

I’ve never been to the daycare either. Will that effect the chance of them letting me work there?

You cannot volunteer anywhere you have never been. And the daycare is probably a for-profit business, meaning the only people there are paid employees. In addition, nonprofit or for-profit, no place that takes care of children allows people under 18 to help, because all volunteers have to undergo a criminal background check, have to have certain training and certification, etc., that someone your age cannot have.

Most volunteering with babies and toddlers is reserved for people 18 and over. There are volunteering opportunities for older children, but most of these require you to be at least 14, even 18.

Here is advice on finding volunteering opportunities, whatever your interest:
Community Service and Volunteering by Teens: How to Find Opportunities
http://www.coyotecommunications.com/stuff/teenvolunteers.html

im 13 and live in england
i love working with animals and have plenty of spare time
i would just like to know can i volunteer at a local animal center e.g the RSPCA (i live in nottingham)
i dont have to be paid i just want the experiance and as i said i love working with animals
thanks
id like to point out that i live in ENGLAND not america

Good for you Betty, just go to your closest RSPCA and ask them if you could help. I hope you are lucky.

Willing to do (mostly) anything. I’m looking for something on weekends or weekday evenings after regular business hours.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the American Red Cross.
They have several section / services in which you might find interest.
Service to Military Families…Red Cross workers in hundreds of chapters and on military installations brief departing service members and their families regarding available support services and explain how the Red Cross may assist them during the deployment.
Safety Services, my favorite. I was a volunteer First Aid Instructor for 18 years.
This service also teaches CPR, Swimming, and Life Guard Certifications.
Disaster Action Team, You can be called upon to go to places around the country to aid in disaster relief such as New Orleans and Katrina, or California fires.
Then there is Blood Services, going and taking history or work the canteen. You will not be called upon to draw blood

http://www.redcross.org/

There have been some reports in the media, always hungry for controversial news about miss-deeds at the Red Cross. I can say, having been an employee for the Red Cross and then a non paid volunteer, it is still one of the best charitable organizations out there. Not encumbered by bureaucracies, they were the first on the scene at Katrina. The Red Cross spends $0.90 of every dollar received in donations and sends it back into the community, through disaster relief, service to military families, to educational information to schools. They operate on $0.10 of every dollar. I have personally seen them take and re-cycle used desk and office equipment donated by the major corporations in Atlanta. They will re-paint desk and file cabinets to use. They will recycle usable posters by using the back side.
They work with whatever hours you have to give and find you a meaningful task.

Keep Clear
Spartan Caver
Let me know what you wind up doing.

I have been volunteering with a local non-profit for awhile now. I was recently asked to try to help in recruiting. Right now, we get most of our volunteers from word-of-mouth, but we would like to reach out more. I know about the volunteer websites, and we will be posting on those. But what are some other ways to reach out to potential volunteers. Our "target audience" for volunteers is 14+, with no upper age limit.

Thanks in advance!

Check with the high schools. Many high schools now require community service hours for various reasons and might be willing to share information about your non-profit with students looking for a place to volunteer. They may also have a volunteer club of some kind that you could meet with or contact to ask for volunteers.
Some colleges also have a community service requirement and volunteer clubs.

If there is no upper age limit, try contacting senior citizen places. Many communities have a place that provides activities for senior citizens and would share your information.

Also, contact community service organizations and ask if you could come speak at one of their meetings to share info about your organization and ask for volunteers: Rotary, Lion’s Club, Eagles, Moose, Sertoma, Soroptomists, Optomists, etc.

I live near Denver, CO. Recently at my high school a girl committed suicide and I was wondering if there is a center I can volunteer at to help suicidal people. I wouldn’t want what happened at my school to happen to anyone else. Or maybe just a program I can help with, idk, the event really upset a lot of people including me.

What a tragic loss…I’m so sorry. It’s really good of you to want to volunteer to help suicidal people, because it definitely *does* make a difference. While there certainly are opportunities to help, some organizations may require that suicide hotline volunteers be at least age 18. But that may not always be the case, so don’t let that deter you from checking out the links below:

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/?gclid=CNLQ1ZCKyaYCFQjrKgoddRc6JQ
http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/AskIt/Pages/Suicide.aspx?gclid=CPLq4cyKyaYCFYa7KgodtnQVHw
http://suicidehotlines.com/colorado.html
http://www.suicide.org/hotlines/colorado-suicide-hotlines.html

You may also be interested in these articles…

How to Volunteer at a Crisis Hotline
http://www.ehow.com/how_2105941_volunteer-crisis-hotline.html
What Skills Do I Need to Volunteer at a Suicide Hotline?
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-skills-do-i-need-to-volunteer-at-a-suicide-hotline.htm

One other thought…
In the news recently there was a story about teens somewhere in the Midwest who started groups at their various high schools to raise awareness of Depression, after some classmates of theirs committed suicide. The groups have had much success and been highly acclaimed both in their communities and in the media. I was able to find their Facebook page and their website, in case you want to look into it and maybe even do something like that at your school. Wishing you all the best.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Erikas-Lighthouse/23062764436
http://www.erikaslighthouse.org/

I have heard of some organizations which will have volunteers fund themselves to go abroad and do volunteer work but I was hoping for an organization that will at least supply basic food, shelter, and clothing. I’m hoping to do volunteer construction work building homes in some other country to help depressed areas in crisis.

If only there where more like you. It is not everyday a person would donate his or her skills for free out of the goodness of there heart. It’s true that organizations want you to volunteer out of your own pocket but there are some who will not go that route. Did you try looking up the Peace Corps?

Ok, I’ve been realizing this all the time for the past year but for some reason or another, would move on and never seem to do anything about it. I tried to categorize this question the best I could to make it easier to follow, sorry about the length, I know its long, but if you have any comments or suggestions PLEASE POST THEM! I’m beginning to become very depressed and worried and it would mean so much to me!

BACKGROUND:
I’m a 20 year old male with one younger brother, living in an apartment with one roommate currently, who does pretty well for himself but can be a dick sometimes. My dad was born and raised in the Middle East before coming to America and my mom grew up in Ohio. My dad is an outstanding neurologist who always got straight A’s and worked his ass off, while my mom still did well and used to be a nurse, but after marrying my dad, quit her job and now only cleans the house with occasional volunteer work. My dad is usually gone on weekdays from morning till dinner-time and usually comes home stressed out and just wants to eat and relax, while my mom is very nice most of the day but has her occasional mood swings and, with being home all the time, never gives me as much privacy as I’d like. They both want me to do really well in school and are willing to spend as much as possible for my education (My mom nags me about it much more than my dad). Both parents are still happily married by the way.

PAST:
From as far back as I can remember all the way through my sophomore year I only wanted to fit in and be well liked by everyone. I wanted to be popular with girls and be the guy they always wanted to be around, but never thought I was very good-looking and because of it, never had the courage. In fact, up until my senior year I had never even hooked up with anyone. I wasn’t outgoing at all. I only wanted to do what was considered cool and hang out with my friends as much as possible, and similarly, hang out with my family as little as possible. I would always get in stupid arguments with my parents over the smallest, least important things and try to be away from them always, and even after all this time I still don’t know why. I used to exaggerate stories or tell little white lies to my friends and peers just to make myself sound more interesting and important. What was considered cool changed throughout the years obviously, for example, I was really into sports like soccer and basketball in elementary school, then moved into more extreme sports like skateboarding and snowboarding later on in early middle school simply because the majority of kids thought it was the "in" thing. Then I got really into all kinds of video games and acting like a gangster in late middle school/early high school times, again, just because my friends thought it was cool. I will admit, everything I did was still fun, but at the same time I’ve realized almost everything I do with my friends is fun, whether or not it’s cool. Even the clothes I wore represented just what was trendy and popular and as a matter of fact, the only reason I stared drinking and smoking cigarettes in high school was because everyone else was doing it. At the same time though, I always did pretty well in school, I would say a solid 3.5 average, and I wanted to be someone who made large amounts of money, and at the time thought a computer programmer would be appropriate (since I thought was really into video games at the time). I can now honestly say after looking back at it, I was never very happy or confident in my past and the only things that were important to me were my wants and desires.

JUNIOR YEAR TO COLLEGE:
Then as my junior year begun, I picked up smoking weed, at first because everyone was doing it, but after only a few times I took a completely different outlook on life and loved it. I realized I had been very unconfident and self-centered up until now and never took the time to see what was important to others. I recognized the times where when I did what was cool, I only did it for that reason, and not because it’s what I thought was right or what I actually liked. I also saw how I never made any effort to socialize with new people and noticed how I was always very judgmental of everyone and everything. Once I got more confidence, I started making an effort to talk to everyone around me and tried to understand their point of views in every aspect of life. I stopped trying so hard to fit in and quit worrying about acting cool, and just tried to be friendly to everyone I ran into. I think I became much more open-minded, relaxed, and in a weird sort of way, enlightened. This outlook helped make my senior year the best time of my life, where I’m proud to say I finally communicated and got along with my whole class. I can also honestly say I was truly happy during this time. I’m not going to lie though; I was smoking weed multiple times a day. My grades did decline a little with me getting a 3.1 my
continuing off of before…

first semester and not managing to even get a 3.0 my second, but I still got in my college of choice and didn’t worry about it.

COLLEGE:
At first I was very nervous but I stuck with my new mentality and made friends easily (most of which, smoke with me). All my closest friends are very diverse and different from each other, but I love them all the same, and it’s the diversity that I love the most. I’ve really been trying and doing a great job at treating everyone, and I mean everyone literally, with respect and kindness when I can. I absolutely love meeting new people and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to put a smile on someone’s face, especially a friend. Relationship wise, I’ve still never had a girlfriend but I have had plenty of good hookups and a few memorable one night stands.
Sadly though, I’d really like to finally date someone long-term than just hook up with them for a few weeks, but I always mess it some way or another. Currently, there’s this girl who I LOVE TO DEATH, but she is now going out with one of my close friends. The thing that makes me mad though is he knows I have a hard time starting relationships, and he knows how much I liked her, and knew we were hooking up for weeks, but still got involved when he had the chance and pushed me out of the picture! School wise, I am not doing as well as I should. My freshman year my cumulative was only a 2.2 and even though I am doing better this year, it’s still not looking likely that I’ll obtain a 3.0. I’ve also changed majors three times now and depending on how this one goes, I might even change again. Every major I seem to try I do like, but I know there are so many majors to choose from and I’m not sure which one I like the best. Overall though, my college experience so far has been amazing.
I’ve met so many new friends and helped people out in ways I didn’t know I could do. There is a lot of responsibility involved though and it’s getting to the point where I have so much going on now I don’t know what to do and feel depressed sometimes. Everyone tells me I’m the nicest person they know (and girls even think I’m good looking, yay!), which all helps boost my confidence and mood too, but if I can’t manage to get my grades up this semester I will have to leave here forever.

NOW:
I don’t know what to do or think anymore and I almost feel like I’m going insane at times. I’m usually still in a great mood all day, but I find that when I have time to think to myself I’m depressed. School is important to me but sometimes I don’t have the motivation to do well or randomly mess something important up. I’m still very uncertain with what I want to do career and major wise and I’m already halfway done with college!
It makes me nervous because I used to be so sure with what I wanted to do in life but now I’m not. There are still so many things that I question about myself, and I’m very worried that I’m still just doing what is considered cool by society. At the same time though, I don’t want to stop doing my actions because it honestly could be what I really like and not just what everyone conforms to. I often think about the purpose of life and if there really is any purpose behind it at all (don’t get me wrong, I would never commit suicide). I also think sometimes that I don’t really have an opinion on most things, because I can clearly see how someone would like it and vise versa. I’m not sure if I should keep smoking weed either, but whenever I stop for long periods at a time, it doesn’t seem to do anything for me. Also, I still don’t know what to do with my relationship issue, because I really do love and care about this girl.
I’ve tried to move on for months now but it’s just too hard for me to do. I’ve asked my friends for suggestions on these things but everyone has different answers for me. Please, what should I do?

Told ya it was a long question hahahaha, sorry again!

Live life for yourself. Just because everybody else does it doesn’t mean you should either. Good to hear that are changing the way you treat and perceive people. Please do not hurt yourself. It seems you are very bright and the world needs more bright people. May you feel that you have to please people most of the time, and that is possibly causing you your problems. I love to make people happy and laugh to but maybe you are doing it to the detriment of your own personal well being. The way you describe yourself sounds like you can benefit from The Word. Yes. That Word. The Word of God. Bless you and peace be with you.

By negative experiences I mean volunteers who have been assaulted or even worse, no longer alive… how does it keep going and keep getting new volunteers?

My guess is those incidents are not well publicized. I’m aware there are very real dangers from parasites and various diseases in other countries. I haven’t been aware of deaths among the Peace Corps or other volunteer groups.