Volunteer Scholarship Essay

I distinctly remember the day, five years ago, when I told myself I should start volunteering. I was alone, in my room, and had been mindlessly staring staring at the computer for hours. Volunteering, I told myself out of nowhere, could be a way to finally break out of my shell, meet new people, and do something productive with my life. The very next day, I signed up to volunteer at the Festival St. Jean d’Ottawa with my school. During the festival, I was astounded by how much my help meant to the organisers and the difference it made the experience of the attendees. Since then, voluntary service has played a significant role in my life and I have given my time to support countless initiatives in my school and around my community.

While volunteering enabled me to socialise more than I ever had, it also had the unintended consequence furthering my ethical, academic and professional development.

Through community service, I have been able to me to help others in the same manner as those who have assisted me. As an after school tutor, for example, I was able to help my younger peers succeed in subjects in which I would not have succeeded in without being helped. By becoming a “peer helper”, I was able to help incoming grade 7 and 8 students make the smooth and comfortable transition to high
Dedication, diligence, teamwork, and leadership are all skills I developed while assisting others or devoting myself to a cause. Every group projected has benefited from the teamwork skills I built by serving with my scouts unit, every club I founded has benefited from the leadership skills I observed from my volunteer coordinators, every challenging assignment was completed with the determination I developped by committing to early morning shifts. There is no doubt that the habits and work ethic I acquired while volunteering have had an important part in my academic