Leif Sundem

Volunteer tutor in the high school study center, with expertise in math up to AP Calculus (I am currently in Differential Equations).

I am the youngest ever volunteer allowed to judge an International Federation for Sport Climbing (IFSC) adult competition, which I have now done in Summers '22 and '23 at the Salt Lake City World Cup events. The opportunity comes after hundreds of hours working my way up through USA Climbing (USAC) volunteer positions of increasing responsibility. After starting at about age 10 as an "athlete runner" (escorting athletes from an isolation zone to starting positions), I was asked to coordinate teams of athlete runners in my region. Subsequently, I worked my way up through apprentice judging positions and then primary judge positions at youth local, regional, divisional and national competitions, then collegiate competitions, and now at national and international level adult competitions. These are highly regulated and often televised events with implications for international ranking and Olympic qualification.

Worked 40 hrs/week during summer '22 leading youth climbing camps for kids ages 6-12.

During my last two years of middle school, I was specifically selected to mentor kindergarten and first grade students. This general position evolved into working with one particular student named Nalin who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. I earned permission to arrive late to my morning homeroom class so that I could play chess and do math games with Nalin to help him transition from home to school. Throughout high school, I have continued to meet periodically with Nalin for mentoring sessions and am so proud to see him maturing into an excellent albeit nontraditional student.