Bohlen Kuperschmid

I am the Vice President of a club my friends and I started called Islander Helping Hands. The club goals vary with every mission, but our main goal is to help kids our age who struggle with homelessness or are without parents. Our last mission was down in Tijuana. We raised over $800 for an Orphanage called Casa de la Esperanza, then traveled down to the orphanage and played soccer with the kids and had some lunch with them, too. Our next mission is to donate to a homeless center in San Diego called Y.A.C. (Youth Assistance Coalition). Our last trip to YAC consisted of us donating many clothes, but when we arrived, they said the next best thing was belts because the pants don't always fit perfectly. We have raised over 400 belts and counting to soon be giving away to YAC. This club gives me hands-on experience with collaboration and teamwork. A lot of effort must go into the marketing aspect to get our donations.

My high school asked me to help tutor kids at the start of the semester because I am in NHS (National Honor Society) for my school. I said sure and have been tutoring 2 kids since. It gave me great experience in helping others learn and teaching them my own skills for homework.

I volunteered because I love to surf. It's fun to be at the beach every day while helping kids learn. I also gained experience working with angry parents and sad kids who did not always want to surf. It taught me how to work with fellow associates and coordinate days for maximum surfing/fun.