I am a public service advocate and spend much of my time volunteering.

The act of giving is an act of receiving.

Not many people can be happy with what they accomplished at 12 years old, however, I have always been ambitious. Starting in 5th grade, I founded Beautiful Beaders, a charity organization that made and sold jewelry to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Beautiful Beaders raised and donated $18,000 and granted 3 complete wishes over a span of 8 years. In the process I spent over 500 hours dedicated to this purpose and have been featured in magazine articles and radio stations. This group has stopped selling jewelry at events and grocery stores and is beginning to be supported online at Etsy.

Circle K International (CKI) is an international service organization with collegiate chapters that serve the local community. I joined the UNC chapter as Fundraiser Chair in Fall of 2014 where I organized and implemented our most successful fundraiser to-date, Pint Night, at a local UNC restaurant/bar. In Spring of 2016, I became the club President. I quadrupled club membership and retention which provided over 800 service hours a semester to the surrounding community. I and the club have been recognized with club awards, District Awards, and multi-state level awards, including “Most Improved Club”. Circle K is recognized yearly by Buckley Public Service Scholars as the organization that provides the most student service hours out of all UNC organizations. Our club leaders are routinely invited to hold leadership workshops at UNC over the summer.

Beautiful Beaders and Circle K are the largest group philanthropic contributions I’ve made, but my reach does not end there. I now dedicate my time to NKLA, a no-kill animal shelter in LA. While no-kill shelters are ideal, remember to support your local kill shelters as well, otherwise we perpetrate the cycle of unnecessary euthanasia of adoptable cats and dogs. This organization provides opportunities to volunteer and to improve education; I have been trained in Dog Body Language through NKLA.

I am passionate about helping people who are experiencing homelessness. In Pittsburgh, I dedicated time to preparing and serving food at Jubilee Soup Kitchen. In Chapel Hill, I spent a Friday evening per month serving food at IFC Soup Kitchen.

I became an Open-Water Diver in order to volunteer with Pittsburgh PPG Aquarium. Volunteering involves cleaning the tanks, maintaining a healthy environment for the animals, and indirectly educating zoo-goers about the safety of swimming with sharks. With them, I have had phenomenal experiences which show giving is an act of receiving. I experienced a shark lay eggs, the underwater (painful) ripples from two sharks who briefly fought, and a curious freshwater stingray- with her barb intact- dance along my hands.

Service-based awards and recognition include: Most Improved Club (2017), Circle K Most Dedicated Member (2016, 2015), President’s Volunteer Service Award (2014), Tribune Review Outstanding Young Citizen (2014),  Prudential Spirit of Community (2014).