Better Your Community While Bettering Yourself
Why is volunteering important?
Everyone talks about the importance of volunteering when it comes to building up a resume or standing out in an interview, but the volunteer gains so much more in return. You gain a sense of pride, achievement, and confidence from donating your time and energy towards others. You will learn new skills both social and physical and be put in new situations. You learn, you grow, and you witness the positive impact left on you from improving your community.
How to get involved:
- Reach out to others and ask: This can be friends, family, or organizations that you may know or be a part of. Talking with those close to you is key to finding volunteer opportunities around your area. Additionally, volunteering with others is a great way to build on current relationships and enjoy the experience together.
- Find something that interests you: Volunteering shouldn’t be a task or chore. If you enjoy the work you are doing, it will be something you look forward to. Personally, I enjoy volunteering in the health care setting to not only gain the experience of volunteering in general, but I also learn a lot more about the profession I aspire to be in.
- Use your resources: By simply looking up volunteering opportunities in your area, you can search around and find one that interests you. You can narrow it down to local places and contact companies or clubs directly. MSU has many resources for getting involved and it can start with joining organizations.
What do YOU gain from the experience?
When you take the time out of your day to volunteer and help improve your community, in return you gain the skills and experience required for any future career. When putting yourself in positions that are foreign to you or something outside what you're comfortable with, you are becoming a more well-rounded individual. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to meet new people that you won’t normally meet, improve your social skills, builds character, and is something you can add to your applications. When you take time to volunteer you are dedicating yourself to others who need an extra hand and by doing so you experience a world outside what you are used to.
Resources:
- Finding an organization to be a part of is a great way to get volunteering opportunities: https://natsci.msu.edu/academics/organizations/
- Co-curricular opportunities: https://prehealth.natsci.msu.edu/explore/co-curricular-opportunities/
By,
Darby