Volunteer Work

Whenever I walk through the hallways of high schools, I hear voices mirroring my own, asking questions that no student should ever need to ask: “Wait, tech design isn’t a fashion design course?!” “What does MyBlueprint mean to ‘explore a range of contemporary legal issues’?” “Is this what Mr. D meant in his trigonometry lesson?” Although staff try to answer, we're usually left to figure these out ourselves. I made it my mission to ensure future students don't need to walk with the same uncertainty that I did.

• Peer tutoring

• Elementary school visits

• Promo videos for lesser-known courses offered at schools

• HDSB course selections support website: click to learn more

M.M. Robinson High School's largest fundraiser, where participants raise money to climb the leaderboards, win prizes, and make an impact for cancer research and support. Each year, the school raises approximately $30,000. As a committee lead, my salient responsibilities are as follows:

• Plan and execute the Launch Party, two hour-long assemblies of excitement, games, and information to get people excited for Relay for Life

• Design and organize several fundraising events throughout the year, including escape rooms, dodgeball tournaments, frozen treat sales, and more

• Securing and promoting community sponsors to provide food, prizes, materials, and prizes for the event day

• Running event day, an 8-hour school-wide event involving ceremonies, games, dinner, activity tents, and more.

• Diverted 1000+ clothing, accessories, and home items from landfills with multiple thrifting events

• Created stewardship education opportunities with Earth days and Earth hour promotions, endangered species posters, Wheel of Waste games, and more

• Partnered with several nonprofits, including BurlingtonGreen, the Ireland House, and _

• Achieved the Platinum (highest) EcoSchools award for the school

As a globally competitive ninja warrior, and one of the oldest in the Aspire Ninjas community, I am a role model for a variety of athletes. Whether I'm supporting young athletes in the recreational programs, peers in the competitive team, or older ninjas in adult classes, I always have a unique perspective for getting the most out of an obstacle, a course, a session, or a season. When I am the assistant coach for the League of Ninjas, I apply my skills to build strength and confidence in groups of up to 15 athletes at a time. My 7 years of experience give me a strong grasp of obstacle and body mechanics, so I can teach anyone how to do any obstacle in a safe and effective manner. More importantly, I teach students how to approach obstacles, so they guide themselves along a path of improvement and success.

The Community Pathways Program (CPP)—also known as Special Education—offers students with intellectual or developmental disabilities to learn and grow with the individual support they need. My school's CPP support is the best in Halton, but in my experience, the CPP and mainstream programs are kept much too separate from each other. There were so many students that I may have never met—or even seen—if not for Best Buddies.

M.M. Robinson promotes this organization's mission by helping students—whether or not they have disabilities—develop lasting friendships, communication skills, and leadership qualities. I love organizing and participating in Best Buddies activities, where I meet new people, play games, have conversations without fear of judgement, and prove to both myself and my buddies that we are capable of more than we think.