VOLUNTEER WORK
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” - Joshua J. Marine
In March 2017, my younger brother died unexpectedly in a plane crash. Little things like getting up and taking a shower or going to the grocery store became huge tasks. Sitting through weddings or celebrating birthdays without breaking out in tears seemed to become the norm.
But then I did the work. I reassessed how I was living my life and how I wanted to live it moving forward. What would my brother want me to do? I realized I was happiest when I was serving others, whether it was tutoring kids at 826 Valencia, a creative writing nonprofit I have come to view as a second home or raising money to go to Malawi with buildOn to help break ground on a primary school. For six days, we lived in a remote village far from Lilongwe, working side-by-side with the community and staying in their homes. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life and I think of the villagers every day.
Inspired by our Malawi trip, my family returned to Africa in June 2019. The five of us organized a day camp at a library right outside of Harare, Zimbabwe, where kids ages 6-17 could come play, read, learn and laugh with us. Over the course of two weeks, more than 400 youth from the surrounding areas came to participate in the program. It is our goal to return to the country and continue the camp in the years to come.