Community Service
During my junior year, I was chosen through a rigorous selection process to lead a group of freshmen during Moses Brown Immersion Service Week. We were assigned to volunteer at Blackstone Park, a 45-acre conservation area on the East Side of Providence that provides the community with space for hiking and recreation. We spent the week doing hands-on environmental work, including removing invasive species, spreading mulch, and moving heavy logs to create barriers that help prevent erosion. While the work was physically demanding, I gained a deeper appreciation for the environment and for the people whose jobs involve this kind of manual labor every day. Leading my group also taught me that leadership means more than giving directions; it means being willing to work alongside others and set an example.
Last winter, some of my teammates encouraged me to join them in volunteering with Adaptive Ice Hockey. During these sessions, I helped players with autism learn and enjoy the game of hockey. Assisting players with skating and stick skills, I worked with athletes of varying abilities, including nonverbal players, which required me to adjust how I supported and communicated each person. Watching players become more comfortable on the ice and experience the same fulfillment I have found in hockey made this experience especially rewarding.
During my junior summer, I was recruited by A Shot For Life to play in a Rhode Island All-Star hockey game raising money for glioblastoma research at Massachusetts General Hospital. With many personal connections to cancer, I took immense pride in supporting A Shot For Life’s mission to fund groundbreaking research. Although the fundraising minimum was $1,000, I raised approximately $1,400 my junior summer and $1,600 my senior summer, primarily by reaching out to loved ones and using social media. In addition to the fundraising that I hope will help change the course of brain cancer treatment, I was grateful to compete in a fun, lighthearted game alongside several Moses Brown teammates (pictured) and some of the top players in Rhode Island.
During my sophomore and junior years, I managed the social media for the Nayatt 5K, a family run/walk that raises money for the local elementary school I attended. I created approximately 100 Facebook and Instagram posts to increase race exposure, encourage community members to register, recognize sponsors, and provide participants with race tips.