Volunteering Is More Than Just Numbers
Cover by Marta Ortigosa from Pexels
Lari Li
Volunteering to gain more than just hours on a certificate. Is it worth it? I’ve interviewed Elmbrook volunteer coaches Winston Chen, Winny Chen, Aidan Liu, Ian Chien, and Kelly Grover, as well as reflected upon my own 2023-2024 year. Our conclusion: it is.
Article Contents
Volunteering & Fun
Hard & Soft Skills
Social Networks & Connections
Fulfillment
Volunteer Interviews & Testimonies
When high schoolers think about volunteering, usually the first thing that comes to mind is how it might look good for college, or to earn that shiny certificate at the end of the year. There’s so much more to volunteering than just numbers though, so let’s break it down.
First and foremost, I cannot stress how fun and fulfilling volunteering is. In 2023, I scaled around 170 volunteer hours, although it didn’t feel monotonous or time consuming. Honestly, I don’t even remember half of it because it felt like I was just living and enjoying my life.
Volunteering doesn’t have to be boring! Explore your interests and find ways to contribute, and it won’t feel like volunteering at all. Your life is an individual and unique journey, so let volunteering stem from your heart rather than expectations put onto you. It also doesn’t necessarily always have to stem from your values or be for a grand ethical cause. For example, many of my hours from last year were from local events like the Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival, where I sold matcha and pastries and had a fun time with my friends.
Most of my volunteering comes from speedskating, whether that’s coaching, planning events, or fundraising. Through this alone, I developed invaluable hard and soft skills and feel the most career-ready I’ve ever been. Coaching got me out of my shell and taught me effective communication. Dealing with 20 rowdy kids is no easy task, and with all of them skating fast at once, my critical thinking and protective instincts need to be on high alert at all times. With event planning for the skating community, my leadership, people management, empathy, and outreach skills were pushed to the limit. Before the Dragon Boat Festival, I had the opportunity to make a contribution to Milwaukee Youth Leadership Academy’s monthly Lantern Magazine. My task was to email outreach to influential figures in Wisconsin who could send their support for the Festival. After hours of researching figures as well as collecting emails, the Lantern Magazine featured a supportive video message from Governor Tony Evers and more. As cold emailing is an essential part of finding internships and opportunities, I already feel more comfortable and have a clear plan of what I would do the next time I have to cold email. It also is able to expand your social network, though most of my social network wasn’t from cold emailing.
My social network is filled with people I’ve met through volunteering. I have friends that I can go to for help with math homework, or swimmers that I can idolize Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky with. It’s also refreshing to have an extra support system and empowering to have so many door-opening opportunities at your fingertips with an extended social network. I know families from Illinois to California who introduced me to Feed My Starving Children, yet another volunteering organization. It’s never too early or late to start networking, especially during high school, where you’re not entirely confined to a set routine.
Although this is already a no-brainer, volunteering is fulfilling. Knowing that you dedicated a slice of your time today for your community brings a sense of gratification like no other. Your impact shakes the community, and with a combined effort, we’re able to move mountains. Whether you’re spending time with the elderly, making cards for hospitalized kids, or packing food for famished countries, you’re still impacting them near and far. On your own, packing and shipping food to a famished country can seem daunting. You don’t have the resources or legal credentials to. However, through seeking out volunteering, all you’re required to do is show up and put your best foot forward.
Alongside reflecting upon my own 2023-2024 year, I’ve also interviewed my fellow Elmbrook volunteer coaches Winston Chen, Winny Chen, Aidan Liu, Ian Chien, and Kelly Grover about their valuable experiences.
In your eyes, what are the most obvious vs. more underlying benefits to volunteering?
Winston Chen: To me, it was about gaining confidence in being a leader, but it also creates a bond between me and the skaters, working together to help each other improve and grow every day.
Kelly Grover: I think an obvious benefit is just getting the service hours in, they look good on college applications. The underlying benefits are you thinking more about you as a skater and what your coaches might think. It also gives you another responsibility. Especially me before high school, thinking about responsibilities and preparing for other responsibilities like testing and homework.
What did you hope to gain from volunteer work? Were your expectations met?
Ian Chien: “I started volunteering because I just needed the hours for graduating. I think now it’s so much more than that. Every time I go I really have the goal of not even improving the skills of the skater but also how can I make them want to come back time after time even if they aren’t the greatest at it. Sometimes they aren’t that good but if they really like it, they can become good and try really hard, which can also carry over to real life skills when they’re older.”
Kelly Grover: “I feel like something I gained was more responsibility and time management and also understanding children and younger skaters more, and putting my mind in the mind of a new skater and trying to put ways of coaching into what makes sense for their mind and how I can help them.”
Aidan Liu: “I hope to gain valuable lessons from my volunteering work. My expectations have clearly been met; as I have gained so much insight into the world of interactions with strangers.”
Why should people volunteer?
Aidan Liu: “I think people should volunteer because it provides an intangible to life that no academic or sport activity can provide. Unlike academics and sports, where you are competing for your own benefit, volunteering is purely for the benefit of others.”
Winny Chen: “Volunteering allows you to teach others about something you have a passion for, while also contributing to the community positively. It also allows you to explore yourself and help your personal growth.”
Kelly Grover: “People should volunteer not just for skating, but also other activities like the humane society or soup kitchen. It just feels good to help out the community and it also builds character for you, you learn more about other people’s lives and just feel better about helping other people.”
Winston Chen: “Volunteering not only gives back to the community but also helps everyone grow and improve each day!”
