Alumni

TIPS Alumni, what are they doing NOW?

Aarti I Chandorkar, 2008 TIPS Intern, continues her community service in Italy

Aarti  is currently enrolled in NYU’s study abroad program in Florence, Italy for her first semester at college.  Her plan is to earn college credits before she transfers them over when she joins the USC campus as a spring admit in January. “Italy is absolutely amazing, gorgeous in every way- I really could go on and on.”

Aarti is volunteering twice a week with a food and clothing bank at a local church that caters to low-income workers and the homeless.  “I have been  volunteering there every week since the beginning of September, and I love it.”

Teena Curry, former TIPS Intern and Boardmember, continues her community service in Madagascar

As I travel daily to my site as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I pass by kids playing soccer with a ball made of old rags, a woman selling bread on the road, and a cow herder leading his cows out to the rice fields.  I am reminded of my daily commute to the Atlantic Street Center via the Metro bus when I was a   Teens In Public Service intern in 1999, even though these experiences are quite different.  What is similar about these two organizations is the important role community service plays in building bridges of understanding among an ever increasing global community.

As a health volunteer living in Amparafaravola, Madagascar, I am able to experience the challenges of global health on a personal level.  Most mornings I help out at the local health clinic in my town where I weigh babies, talk to mothers about the importance of nutrition, and help distribute mosquito nets. In addition, I am helping a local organization with project planning for a training center and school room. Now that school is back in session, I will be traveling to different schools to teach lessons about healthy foods, the importance of hygiene, and warning signs of various diseases.

I continue to be amazed by how far social-networking has reached.  Even here, where I live an hour and a half from a bank and other volunteers, I am able to update my FB status by text and now have a modem which allows me to get wireless internet in my house which allows me to update my blog (http://teenastravel.blogspot.com/).  It is amazing how technology really does bring the world so much closer together.

I am excited to welcome Ellen Miller; who was a Teens In Public Service Intern at ROAR of Washington in 2005; as one of the newest Peace Corps Volunteer in September. She serves as a community health volunteer as well and her site is located in the northern region of Madagascar.

Written by: Teena Curry

 

Iman Baghai assists with Linking Opportunity

In August 2011, Bellevue High School senior Chirag Ved founded Linking Opportunity, a student-run nonprofit organization that connects high school student volunteers to volunteering opportunities in the area. Ved saw the results of the impact he was creating just by himself through working at the Atlantic Street Center, and realized the impact created on the community could be much greater if more students volunteered their time.

The website serves as a database of volunteering opportunities on which high school students can register for events that organizations post up on to the site. The site allows students to better understand the importance of volunteering and be further motivated to do more. Linking Opportunity currently has over 25 registered nonprofits with the number increasing daily.

Since August 2011, the team has added three students: Iman Baghai (2011 TIPS intern), junior at Issaquah High School, Calvin Freatman, senior at Seattle Christian, and Cole Mora, junior at Bellevue High School.

To get involved, high school students can visit www.LinkingOpportunity.org and create an account. After creating this account, they would have access to register for a myriad of volunteering opportunities ranging in all fields sponsored by over 25 nonprofit organizations, from tutoring to coaching a sports team. Linking Opportunity believes in making the volunteer experience both enjoyable and inspiring for high school students by offering opportunities in almost every field. To get started, visit www.LinkingOpportunity.org today!

 

Congratulations!

  • Amy, 2011 TIPS Intern, was awarded Issquah’s Community Award for Environmental Excellence.
  • Betsy & Adam, 2010 TIPS Interns, was named 2010 National Merit Semi-Finalists! Read about them here in the Seattle Times
  • Sarah & Abby, 2008 TIPS Interns, was accepted in the 2009-2010 Mayor’s Youth Council in Seattle.
  • Shandra, 2009 TIPS Intern, received the Sullivan Leadership Award to Seattle University, a full-time scholarship.
  • Sylvia, 2008 TIPS Intern, named 2009 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist.
  • Sylvia, 2008 TIPS Intern, organized a Brunch to Benefit Bailey-Boushay House Sunday, October 18, 2009. Sylvia raised to date $18,000 for the Bailey-Boushay House!
  • Okoye, 2008 TIPS Intern, was recognized at the Centennial Celebration Dinner, Rotary Club of Seattle on March 5, 2009 for Rotary Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year. Okoye shared the stage with Bill Gates Sr. & Bill Gates Jr., the evening’s keynote speaker.
  • Max, 2007 TIPS Intern, went to Washington D.C as part of the United States Senate Youth Program. Read the entire Seattle Times article about Max here.