The bustling hallways, the constant beeps of the heart monitors in each room and the slight antiseptic smell — the hospital became a look into the future for senior Claire Morell. She was not a doctor, nor a nurse, but a volunteer.
Volunteer hours are often gathered to fulfill requirements based on honor societies and clubs, enhance resumes, or build life experiences. The reasons when volunteering vary for each student, but together they form a group of young individuals stepping into different roles in life.
Morell began volunteering at hospitals through the Summer Teen Volunteer Program at Baylor Scott and White Health in Plano.
“We were taken on as summer unpaid interns almost,” Morell said. “It’s a really cool opportunity. You get to work in the hospital and shadow the director of volunteer services.”
Although the members do not engage with medical procedures, they aid the transitional periods of people’s stay at the hospital.
“You help walk the patients to their rooms, help with surgery prep, room prep, stocking all the emergency department stuff, [and] stocking coffee carts,” Morell said. Morell said she hopes to become an osteopathic pediatrician, so she has focused on medically-based extracurriculars.
“Volunteering is important in high school because it helps prepare you for whatever future career you want,” Morell said. “It is also good community service.”
Volunteering is rooted in giving back to the community.
“I love serving others,” Morell said. “I love making others feel cared about, and making them realize that they matter.”
Volunteering is not necessarily identical to what a future career in a hospital would look like, but it helps build certain skills needed to be successful.
“It has taught me a lot of time management skills, being on time, and a work ethic,” Morell said. “It has helped me excel in my medical classes.”
Freshman Anastasia Bentley is a Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL) student at the Lowery Freshman Center whose
personal volunteering experiences stray from Morell’s medically-related activities. Bentley travels to the Allen ISD middle schools during the first week of school to explain procedures and answer questions.
“[Volunteering] shows that you care about your community and you have respect for your community,” Bentley said.
Immersing himself into artistic volunteering, junior AJ Johnson participated in Creative Dramatics, an event allowing elementary students to immerse themselves in a theatrical experience. High school students helped elementary school students in creating a play to perform. Johnson was a leader for the fifth-grade students.
“It’s lots of fun and I feel very accomplished when I do [Creative Dramatics],” Johnson said. “It makes me happy that all the kids are excited.”
For Johnson, helping build an interest in theater is a big motivator for volunteering.
“My biggest takeaway is that I can really do so much in a day,” Johnson said. “The kids make a big connection to all the [student] leaders in one day.”
