Ben Davis

• School: UMBC
• Major: Biology

Tell me about your volunteer experience? (Where did you volunteer and what did you do while there.)

As a transfer student to UMBC I was overwhelmed with all the different volunteer and work related opportunities. However, since I was biology major I was immediately added to the Pre-Medical Society roster and from there I proceeded to be an active participant of the events society. My first assignment was to organize and assemble members of the society to volunteer, along with other fellow students from the campus, with the Collegetown service event at Druid Hill Park on October 11, 2008.

The service project was a huge success. From 10am to 1pm a group of 30 students worked together to clear out a specific portion of the Druid Hill forest that lay adjacent to the Jones Falls trail. At the service site everyone worked collaboratively to make the trail accessible and the forest purged of any harmful weeds, vines, and other parasitic plants.

What made you interested in volunteering?

I became interested in volunteering with the Collegetown service event because I wanted to escape the confines of my every day study habits and go out into the community and try my best to effect change. I wanted to get dirty, have fun, and help the community that I am a member of as a student of UMBC.

I have always been actively involved with service projects and volunteer organizations. Although I did not volunteer in anything last year, throughout high school I was involved with many organizations, such as Best Buddies and the Community Learning Center. Best Buddies is an organization that fosters mutual friendships with volunteers and individuals with disabilities. The Community Learning Center is an after-school workshop where students of all skill levels come for help with their homework and studies. I functioned as a peer tutor, whose mission was to help, as much as I could, students who had difficulties with their academics. This year I have joined the UMBC chapter of Best Buddies and I work with individuals with Multiple Sclerosis.

I can remember as a little kid accompanying my dad to his medical clinic. I had no idea of what to expect. Throughout the day I was in awe, every patient of his regarded him with the upmost respect and followed every suggestion that my dad prescribed to them. Since that day I knew I wanted to help others just like my dad. In high school I was able to explore my volunteer options. However, I no longer had a mentor as my dad passed away during my sophomore year. Although it may seem like a depressing event (and in actuality it was) it was also a great blessing. My dad’s passing allowed me to grow within, and made me earn my own independence and maturity.

The most prolific volunteering I was a part of during high school was Best Buddies. I looked forward to every lunch period during my sophomore year because I would eat lunch with one of my best friends, Jeremy. I loved having conversations with him, I loved to walk the halls with him, I loved being around him. He was truly a great individual, yet he was both mentally and physically disabled.

What did you gain from your volunteering experience?

I can confidently say that the Collegetown service event shaped me into a more conscientious, aware, and compassionate individual. I was able to work with other great people in order to help the community. While volunteering I was able to come to terms with the idea that volunteering has the capability of bringing together different and diverse people to accomplish a specific goal. A goal that can produce positive effects within the community and in the minds of the volunteers.