Summer Activities, Part III: Community Engagement
Having a break from school during the summer allows you more free time - and what better way to utilize your time than making a positive impact on the world around you. Volunteering on a regular basis can not only be a truly rewarding experience, it can be a highly impactful experience - particularly when your volunteerism is long-term and consistent. Making a positive impact in your community could include fundraising, or creating an event that supports a non-profit, or simply giving your time on a regular basis. Being generous with your time and talents makes the world around you a better place and is also personally fulfilling.
If there is not an organization that you feel particularly connected to, consider utilizing your own skills and interests to improve your local community, such as filling voids in communities that could use your knowledge, energy, and expertise. Are you a musician? Why not perform at local hospitals or create a zoom event! Are you an IT whiz? How about teaching younger students the basics of coding! Do you love social media? Consider working pro bono for a nonprofit and setting up a social media page for their business! When you match your interests and skills to benefit those around you, the opportunities are endless. If you are still struggling to find ways to give back, you can find some ideas on websites such as volunteeryourtime.org.
Volunteering during the summer is certainly a fantastic option to choose, but remember that it is less about the hours and much more about passion. If you are simply thinking of volunteerism as a “check the box” activity, the experience you get out of it will be fairly shallow. The value in volunteerism has to be individual and for that, the most impactful experiences will be both sustained and meaningful. Lean into the things that really pique your interest. Choose the place you want to volunteer for carefully. If it is something you would want to do with your time regardless if colleges required or not - then you know it is a true passion of yours and you should follow that road to see where it leads.
Over the course of your four years of high school, you start to accumulate more and more things that pose time constraints on your life. The choices you make on what you do with that time is very telling. As a quick exercise, track your time for a week and briefly write out everything you do - school, homework, clubs/organizations, downtime, extracurriculars, etc. After a week, look back at that list. There is value in what you choose to do with your time. Certainly not all high school students know what their passions are yet, but summer is an excellent opportunity to simply learn more about yourself. Lean into your strengths, and bolster your weaknesses - passion will follow. Continued learning is a lifelong skill, and applying the things you know to be your strengths to others in your community is a win-win for everyone.
In wrapping up this summer planning series as it relates to college prep, remember that colleges are looking for engagement and authenticity. Whether you choose to use your summer to engage in career/major exploration, or you choose academic endeavors to fill your days, or you volunteer with local organizations on a regular basis, remember that the strongest college applicant is excited and passionate. Ask yourself, “What lights you up?”…and then pursue it in a meaningful way. If something does not interest you anymore, it is ok to pivot! Finding out what does not work for you is equally as beneficial as learning what does work for you. Always match your interests to the activity you choose to do. Your experiences will have much more depth and purpose and be much more exciting for you if you stay true to your own interests and strengths. Summer is the perfect time to gain experience and develop those interests in an impactful way.