Towards the end of my sophomore year, I was invited by a friend to attend a community service event to help out at a festival(The Noodle Fest) for BuildOn Club because they were short of volunteers. The day coincided with the day I was doing a practice exam for AP World History at school, but I accepted it anyway because I thought it would be a good opportunity to get community service hours.
On April 30th, right after finishing my practice exam, I rushed to the site, only to inevitably arrive a few minutes late. Because of my slight tardiness, everyone else from the club had already been stationed. I was unsure of what to do, especially because it was my first time volunteering with a club, and the first time volunteering since middle school. Unfortunately, the organizers seemed just as flustered, contemplating for a moment to find something for me to do.
Luckily, after giving me some tasks, the rest of the day flowed relatively smoothly. I busied myself with distributing tickets, keeping watch over lines, and helping deliver orders of noodles. Surprisingly, I didn’t see any BuildOn members until the latter half of my shift, and we didn’t have much interaction. Even so, at the end of the event, I was invited to their end-of-year celebration, which was a community service opportunity for beach cleanup followed by a celebration.
Although I felt a little out of place, especially because I was barely acquainted with the BuildOn members, I attended the event. To make up for my previous tardiness, I arrived about half an hour earlier. However, the club members didn’t start arriving until 5 minutes before the agreed upon time, so I spent a lot of time wandering around. As everyone arrived and settled down, we began by spending an hour picking up trash before transitioning to sharing food and celebrating. Everyone seemed relaxed and the friendly atmosphere made things a lot more comfortable. I quickly became acquainted with a few others, and I admired this group of people who gathered to help others out. I began wanting to be a part of their community, so after that, I joined the BuildOn Club officially at the beginning of junior year and invited a friend to join along with me.
From then on, I began attending meetings and events such as festivals and food banks, dragging my friend along. Being able to help out gave me a sense of accomplishment, and everyone was friendly. We were also able to connect with volunteers from different schools and the organizers on occasion, one such event being the LDM Halloween Event, where we helped out the Lion Dance Club and celebrated with them. During the event, we participated in group activities and I found someone with whom I shared interests, so we ended up sharing socials.
From my experience, I learned that although it can be hard for me to interact with others, joining a club definitely helps me expand my horizons, especially because it gathers people with common interests. I’ve been able to develop qualities such as skills in collaboration, communication, and positivity. If I had never joined, I would’ve been more reclusive, not leaving the house as often. In fact, from attending opportunities for the club, I’ve been to places in SF that I’ve never stepped foot in.
Being a part of the club has also made me realize the importance of efficiency and adaptability, or being able to adapt quickly to changing situations. I would advise those looking for a club, those seeking a sense of community, or those who just want to help out and get community service hours to join the BuildOn Club. I would encourage people to take a step forward, take advantage of the opportunities in the club, and attend the events whenever possible.
Overall, being a part of the BuildOn Club has been especially rewarding, and an opportunity I regret not taking sooner. In addition to building connections and getting community service hours for helping out, it’s also given me a reason to get out of the house and get out of my comfort zone more often, helping me build my social skills.
