Giving back to your community is always a great way to show that you appreciate the things you have in your life. Engaging in community service has many benefits. First, it teaches you long lasting life skills and at the same time provides service to those who are in need.

Another benefit is that it leaves a positive impact on society while helping you feel satisfied with yourself too. It has also been shown that volunteering can help with interpersonal communication skills and decrease stress levels. Throughout the years, I have been volunteering with various different organizations for various different purposes and it has helped me become a more mature and understanding person, who has acquired many useful life skills along the way.

Since my freshman year in college, I have been volunteering at the MCV Hospital at Virginia Commonwealth University. I volunteer once a week for two hours with the cutest little creatures in the world: infants and toddlers. Every week I look forward to volunteering with them and being able to interact with them to facilitate activities and watch them grow.

It gives me utmost joy that I get to be in a room surrounded by a bunch of babies. This experience has taught me how to understand kids better and be able to interact with them properly. It has also made a huge influence on my decision to become a Pediatrician and work with children when I become a doctor.

Another place I have been volunteering at is Carver Elementary School. I am a mentor for the Carver Promise program and I have been working with my mentee for about a year now. Working with my mentee has had a positive influence on both of us. I have learned so much about my mentee and we have bonded quite well.

Every week, we work on improving essential skills such as reading, writing, and math. I get to interact with her and engage in meaningful activities that are also enjoyable. Education is an integral aspect of every child’s life and I am glad that I am truly making an impact in every way I can. This experience has increased my love for working with children and helped me understand the different lifestyles that people have.

A few other organizations that I have worked with include RamPantry, Global Medical Training, and Operation Smile, all of which have taught me about food insecurity, poverty, and other issues in our community and around the globe.

The psychological, social, and cognitive benefits that come with volunteering is significant to the organizations and the people being served. Often times we don’t think about how privileged we are to be able to live the life that we have and the luxuries that come with it. Volunteering with these organizations has taught me that we should give as much as we can to the community and people around us.

People may think that they don’t have time to volunteer, but it honestly does not take much time. Even putting in one hour per week is a lot and valuable because any contribution is making a difference in the world. Through these memorable experiences, I have become more informed and developed a richer perspective of the world we live in. I love what I do and I look forward to giving back to my community for the years to come.