Beau Sam

• School: Maryland Institute College of Art
• Organization: School 33 Art Center

Beau, a Colorado native, wanted to go out into Baltimore and explore the new city he was now calling home as a student at MICA. He also wanted to expand on his involvement with MICA that he had enjoyed so much. He found the best way to do both was to volunteer.

He decided to get involved with a local art center, by volunteering his time at the School 33 Art Center. His volunteer duties include everything from helping the staff with administrative duties and planning events, to building maintenance. Currently, Beau is coordinating a poetry slam with students from Baltimore's Patterson High. He is assisting students as they work with a poet for the entire year in preparation for a poetry performance in December.

As an art student, Beau sees a positive side to his volunteer efforts. "I also feel School 33 is a great resource to network with other artists and art programs for in the future" he explains. Beau hopes to use the skills and knowledge gained from these service efforts in his future endeavors in the art world. 

But useful skills for the future are not the only thing Beau gained from his experience.

"My advice is to volunteer in a community with people that are different from you, maybe in age, race, economic status, education, etc..., in order to get different perspectives and to network with the greater community outside of your own." The chance to interact with people different than himself is something Beau sees as a wonderful opportunity to grow as a person and views this as an opportunity every volunteer should take advantage of.