“The hardest part about community service is just signing up.”

Trisha - Class of 2009 San Francisco, California

Trisha’s favorite school-year community service activity (so far) is her experience with PALS, an after-school program for middle-schoolers in nearby Lawrence, Mass. Several afternoons each week, Trisha, her PA classmates, and student volunteers from Andover High School helped dozens of eager 7th- and 8th-graders with homework and SSAT prep. And when the academics were done, tutors and tutees explored the PA campus, snacked on Oreos, and shared passionate opinions about the latest bands.

“I especially enjoyed the one-on-one aspect,” she says. “PALS reminded me of a similar program I attended when I was younger—and that definitely helped me get into Andover. I felt as though volunteering for PALS was giving a student in Lawrence a similar opportunity.”

According to Trisha, the hardest part about community service is…just signing up. “Once you get over that hump, you start the project and realize it’s pretty easy to schedule the rest of your time,” she says. “Everyone here is so busy with clubs, organizations, music, art, sports, and publications that community service just slots right in.”