Amy Roth ‘11

Virtually every positive event in my life has been brought about by someone’s generosity and care for me — from my grandmother who sacrificed her time and energy to teach me after retiring, to my teachers who endlessly encouraged me to excel, to the open-hearted people who fund my scholarship. Because of the many people who went out of their way to assist me when I was in need, I realize how critical even small acts of kindness can be. This understanding has created within me a strong desire to give back and to help others when the opportunity arises. Call it community service or charity if you will, but what one is really doing is aiding others in moving forward with their lives and thereby furthering the progressive movement of us all. To me, this is in everyone’s interest. In serving others, not only does one feel the satisfaction of having made a difference in another’s life, but more importantly an improvement, even if seemingly insignificant, is made in the world. Service is not just important but is crucial in the ongoing evolution and betterment of humankind.

Jess King ‘10

This could be because I’m a bitch, but I think that people who don’t do community service are lazy ingrates. I think that there are too many people who think “someone else will do it,” or “the government should be taking care of it — that’s why I pay taxes.” I don’t think people should be volunteering every day of their lives, but I think that every person has an obligation to look out for her neighbors to the best of her ability. If I were put into the position where I was looking over resumes, I would most definitely avoid hiring or awarding a person who had done no community service. I don’t care whether or not the person did it with the intention of “I’m going to be helpful” or “this will look good for me” — I cannot be the judge of that. Regardless of their reason, they’ve done it. What is important is that they have helped their fellow man. As for the person who says “I didn’t do it because I got a 4.0 and was president of this and business manager of that,” you just piss me off. My dad, who is one of the busiest people I know, serves at a local homeless shelter during his lunch break. He has been serving and putting forth tons of extra effort his whole life to ensure the well-being of others and himself.

Victoria Massie ‘11

I think it is only ideal to assume that much of the reason we will take the liberty of sacrificing time and money serving people–especially those of less fortunate means, however you define it–is out of the goodness of our hearts. I am sure that every person who has ever contributed to the 1-800-Save A Child commercials assumes that by giving $0.30 a day, they are truly giving “Emilio” a chance to go to school and have what we in the Western world consider a “decent” meal. I mean, it is something that is safe to assume because the non-profit organization is legally bound to make sure the money is distributed in accordance to their advertisement. But it is naive to think that such a sacrifice entitles an individual to a sense of self-righteousness. Okay, so you did your part to “help” — is the world suddenly supposed to congratulate you on helping your fellow man? I feel that praising people for their “good” deeds is not only ridiculous, but it is not acknowledging one of the underlying aspects of community service that is so often disregarded: it is that the server gets more “help” from the situation than the served, and that for some individuals, community service activities are not genuine but merely a selfish form of gratification.

Erin Sanehira ‘11
 

Community service should indicate a genuine passion to help others, or at least a passion to address a problem or to fulfill a need that is personally meaningful. Whether the motive is seeing the community benefit or simply enjoying the task at hand, it is a passion that should be rewarded. In addition, the fact that society values work that benefits others is a value that should be preserved. More…Less…

Ben Sabari ‘10

It is important. I don’t do enough of it. I wish I had the determination to consistently help people who are outside of my circle of friends and acquaintances. Do people always do community service for the right reasons? Probably not, but that does not make their actions any less positive for those people who it helps. An act of selflessness does not make you any more qualified academically or intellectually. The only thing it means is that you were able to be selfless for an extended period of time. Some people do volunteer work only because most institutions value such work, and it therefore looks good on an application, so what? I don’t see a big problem with this. It is creating an incentive for people who don’t normally help out their community to help out their community.

Emily Grzybowski ‘11
 

We volunteer to connect to people. We volunteer to relieve our guilt. We volunteer to fill our time. We volunteer to get a free T-shirt. We volunteer to look good on a resume. We volunteer to go on trips with our friends. We serve to help others and to make our small slice of the world just a little bit better. More…Less…

Maya Dukmasova ‘11

In high school, guidance counselors would always talk about volunteer work and how it would look great on college applications. Most people I knew engaged in volunteer work for that college application and not because they felt a calling. I got involved with volunteering quite on accident. I worked in a museum close to my home, which simply could not afford to pay me. I decided to stay there because I loved the work. This became my “community service”. Really, it had more to do with my personal interests than a dedication to the “community.” If we assume that people “serve” their communities out of compassion and interest for the common benefit, what does a person’s ability to experience such feelings have to do with how well he/she will perform in college, or what he/she accomplished on behalf of an institution? I believe that people should be judged by the merits of their work, paid or unpaid. What should be looked at is the kind of work one is involved in and the amount of dedication one has to it. If someone is good at what he does, he will be paid for it, if someone is passionate about his work, he will do it regardless of the pay he receives. I will accept the possibility that some people simply have a calling to “help others”, but I think that more often than not we tend to focus on our own interests and desires. Great things have been achieved by humanity through passion and hard work, why does one have to water that down with a steady volunteer job at the local homeless shelter to look more attractive on applications? The greatest service one can do to the community is by being dedicated to one’s passions while remaining fair and honest. The rest will come naturally.