College Essay On Volunteering

387 Words2 Pages

To be completely honest, when I first decided to pursue a career in medicine, I was immature and selfish. I believed: "Volunteering isn 't benefitting me, so why should I spend my valuable time doing it?" Now, after 4 years of life-changing experiences, I have a whole new perspective about serving others. My experiences volunteering have made me not only more passionate about pursuing such a beautiful, self-rewarding career but more prepared to tackle the many daily challenges of a physician.
My volunteering journey all started when I asked my physician, Dr. Vincenzo Visconti, if I could shadow and volunteer at his clinic. To my surprise, after only my first week, patients already began thanking me for making their experience better and less …show more content…

After my rewarding experience at Dr. Visconti 's clinic, I was hooked and I looked for other volunteer opportunities. Since then, I have coached competitive youth soccer, I volunteered at Capital Care which is an Alzheimer 's and dementia retirement home, I joined the University of Alberta Shinerama club as an executive to raise money for cystic fibrosis research, I have volunteered in the emergency department of a hospital, and more.
These experiences have been important in molding me into the person I am today. Coaching has improved my teaching and mentoring skills, volunteering at Capital Care has instilled me with patience and non-verbal communication skills, through Shinerama, I have advanced my organizational and management skills, and my empathy, compassion, and medical awareness have improved during my volunteering stint at the hospital.
Presently, I view volunteering as an activity that is both beautiful and unique. There are not many activities, like volunteering, where you can improve yourself while also having a positive impact on someone else 's life. I am very grateful that my initial perspective on volunteering has changed because I would have missed out on many lifelong memories and lessons that will undeniably be important in my career as a future