I started volunteering with Variety in Grade 8. During my first few events, I had the opportunity to spend time one-on-one with children with special needs. Interacting with the children Variety helps motivated me to continue furthering their mission. Knowing that I’m helping to make someone’s day a little bit easier gives me great satisfaction.

In my first year at SFU, my friends and I decided to start a Variety club for students. Although I was a little nervous about going out on a limb at first, having a group of such passionate individuals working with me made things a lot less overwhelming. This role has also allowed me to nurture my relationship with the charity organizers, their support has been unwavering. I’ve developed my communication skills, learned how to network and also how to plan and execute successful events. In my opinion, there’s no shame in starting out with a small volunteering commitment and taking on more responsibility at your own pace, because the most important thing is to put yourself out there.