Stories That Matter

Featured stories from past finalists who demonstrated extraordinary sacrifice and compassion for others.

Featured Stories From Past Finalists

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Cori H.

“Mentoring Elementary Kids”

"Do you enjoy service?" "Do you enjoy working with kids?" When asked these questions, I answered yes to both. The mentor program was my chance to get experience working with a girl who spoke English as a second language, as well helping her with her homework and being her friend. I was so excited to be a part of this program and give back to my community. I filled out the paperwork, got my references and was introduced to Yarita, who I love working with.

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Niayla B.

“Starting My Own Representation Organization”

Having a lack of representation throughout my early years in school has contributed to who I am today. I felt insecure about my identity, and bullying was part of my high school life for the first year and a half.

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Sandeep S.

“Leaders of Consequence”

There is nothing poetic about growing up in the inner-city. Being a child of two immigrant laborers, I learned early on the fragility of the manufacturing industry during recessions and natural disasters. Cyclical unemployment resulted in years of Welfare, Food Stamps and learning the importance of ration and 'hand-me downs'. Although skilled, an evolving economy marginalized millions likes my parents into limited opportunities in one of the largest supply chain cities of Houston. It was the 'pay it forward' attitude of neighbors that helped guide my professional journey and instill a commitment to pursue systemic solutions for communities like mine.

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Heidy M.

“Fundraising For Good”

Walking down the empty hallway, on a late afternoon, I am confronted by my sponsor for YLPA. "Heidy, I asked the teachers around me, and they did not know anything about the fundraiser." My heartbeat quickens, and my cheeks redden with shame, burden, and guilt. I tried to give a response that would excuse the fact I only asked two teachers, but came up lost for words, and gave an awkward smile instead.

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Kaiyi Z.

“Studying to Change the World”

I am a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. I have one and half-year experience in the doctoral program in Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, where I learn more about health effects of individuals and populations when exposed to water pollution. I have been working with Dr. Virender K. Sharma to develop techniques to improve the safety of drinking water.

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Zoe E.

“Community Service, Moore Than Just Coordinating”

The sun beats down on our backs, and sweat streams down our arms, mingling with the fresh dirt in our garden gloves. For two years, I have organized monthly trips to the local community garden. The work is strenuous, and the payoff is not always evident, but the experience of coming together as a community of students to provide for those in need while serving the Lord is undoubtedly worthwhile.

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Alexis R.

“Travelling For Good”

Since I was young, I started dreaming about becoming a veterinarian. As I've grown older, I've been volunteering at numerous facilities that get me closer to a deeper understanding of caring for animals. Recently, I've come across an opportunity to volunteer at a facility called New Heights Therapy. New Heights Therapy is a horse facility in Folsom, Louisiana that brings together people of all ages and backgrounds living with autism, cancer, depression, anxiety, paralysis, mental illnesses, and veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a thriving non-profit facility that is volunteer-based and runs solely off of donations. Working each weekend with the team has brought me an experience that will forever touch me.

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Katrina M.

“My Time In a Refugee Camp”

One of the most life-changing times in my life started in August of 2017. I was 20 years old and was struggling to find a calling and purpose for my life. Through random mutual friends, I ended up flying to the Island of Lesbos Greece, where I spent the next 1.5 years volunteering off and on in a refugee camp. Camp Moria was an old military base converted into a facility to house migrants who had made the 3-mile journey across the Aegean sea from Turkey to Greece for security and a future. The trip was dangerous, the Turkish police would stop and beat refugees if they caught them attempting to cross the sea. It was here that I met some of the most caring, kind, and giving people I could ever hope to meet.

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Cannon B.

“Voices Can Be Heard And Read”

Meaningful experiences are something that one must seek out the majority of the time in my experience, and to help other people along the way is not always an easy feat. However, once a way is discovered to do both, the feelings of self-fulfillment are immeasurable. For me, one of my most meaningful experiences that allowed for me to help other people was my part in the creation of our school's literary magazine.

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Sara C.

“The Power of Forgiving”

Growing up, I felt like a ping pong ball, bouncing from country to country. A Korean-American adoptee, I was raised as a missionary kid in the Netherlands, the US, and Scotland. And I experienced the hardships and heartaches that can come with growing up among worlds. I especially struggled to fit in and to find my identity. At the time, I didn't realize that my struggles could become a source of healing for others. But one experience as a counselor at summer camp changed all that.

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