Community Service
My organizational goal is to be a role model and inspire other students to get involved in organizations they are passionate about. At Ithaca, I aim to join groups that hone my creative talents and allow me to meet others who share the same drive. I want to be seen as trustworthy and hardworking, ready to step into leadership positions when needed.
Planned Parenthood
This semester, I had the opportunity to volunteer with Planned Parenthood, an experience that was both inspiring and deeply meaningful to me. Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit organization that provides essential reproductive health care, education, and advocacy for millions of people across the country, ensuring that everyone has access to the resources and support they need to make informed choices about their health. Following Giving Day, my role was to call and personally thank donors for their generosity and continued support. Over the course of the day, I spoke with more than 200 individuals from across the nation, each motivated by their belief in the importance of reproductive rights and accessible health care. One woman I spoke with said, “In times like these, I want to do anything I can to support the things I believe in.” Her words resonated deeply with me, capturing the shared sense of purpose that connects supporters, volunteers, and staff alike. Volunteering with Planned Parenthood reminded me of the power of gratitude, advocacy, and community, and reinforced my own commitment to giving back to organizations that stand for compassion, equality, and the right to choose.
Prunty's Pantry
During the Spring 2025 semester at Ithaca College, I completed several volunteer hours at Prunty's Pantry—a vital on-campus resource dedicated to supporting the Ithaca College community. The pantry provides students, faculty, and staff with free access to essential items such as food and beverages, personal care products, and household goods. As a volunteer, my responsibilities included signing in shoppers to maintain accurate records of pantry usage, assisting new visitors in getting registered to receive food, and ensuring they understood how the system worked. I also helped restock shelves, organized products by category, and guided visitors in finding specific items they needed.
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Volunteering at Prunty’s Pantry was a deeply rewarding experience. It allowed me to contribute meaningfully to my college community while supporting a mission that resonates with me on a personal level. As someone with food allergies and dietary restrictions, I understand firsthand how important it is to have safe, accessible food options available. In fact, Ithaca College’s commitment to providing inclusive dining and allergy-conscious resources was one of the key reasons I chose to attend. Being able to give back by helping uphold those values—ensuring others could access food that meets their needs—felt incredibly fulfilling and connected me even more deeply to the campus community
"A Red Panda Who Wanted to Be A Tooth Fairy" by Miriam
Letter to Miriam about her story
During the Fall 2024 semester, I worked closely with Story Love, a program through the non-profit organization Story Pirates Changemakers. The mission of this program reads "The mission of the Story Pirates is to celebrate the words and ideas of young people and to create confident, literate students equipped with a variety of tools for written, verbal, and artistic self-expression. Story Pirates Changemakers makes those tools accessible to under-resourced communities and families,"(Story Pirates Changemakers). This mission is incredibly important to me, as these children are the future of art, and it's important to encourage a child's creative development.
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During my volunteer hours, I read over 100 story submission by kids across the world, and highlighted details that I found interesting or imaginative. I read letters written by other Story Pirate volunteers that complimented the stories, and proofread them. In my proofreading, I didn't just look for grammatical errors, but confirmed that each letter followed the ideals that the program pushed for. I ensured each letter had compliments on specific details within the story, and asked followup questions to get the author thinking about what was next for the character(s). Each letter concluded with a statement that aimed to inspire the child to keep writing. I hope that the work I've done with this program motivates kids to hone their imagination and creative talent.