How Volunteering with 14 Different Organizations Helped Me As An International Student In America.
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Volunteer work doesn’t just make the world a better place, it also mends the soul and builds a great portfolio.
When you’re an international student living thousands of miles away from everything you know, loneliness can become a common visitor.
My first semester abroad was outstanding. I lived on campus, met a stellar group of friends, had an amazing roommate, and was assigned host parents who would invite me over to celebrate the festivities. Every corner I turned, I was met with someone who appeared to be truly invested in my wellbeing. It was picture perfect and everything I could have ever asked for. But as the semester faded, people came and people went.
I went from constantly being surrounded with laughter and joy to what felt like the loneliest dorm room ever.
Due to a lack of university housing, my on-campus dorm became a hotel leased by the university that was a 20-minute walk away. My close-knit group of friends left for their respective countries after completing their semester abroad. My roommate left for home in a different state and by this time, contact from my host parents had dwindled to an email a month.
My first ever summer in America looked bleak. During the weekdays, I tried to keep myself busy with my on-campus summer jobs but once those were over, I was forced to confront the fact that I still felt incredibly alone. Here I was, in 90 degrees Fahrenheit America, sulking about life in a cold three-star hotel room. For the first time since I landed in America, I felt completely and utterly alone.
The silence on public holidays and weekends were unbearable. I knew I had to do something before this feeling of despondency overtook me.
Determined not to let the rest of my experience in America fall into this chasm of loneliness, I grabbed my laptop and started searching for volunteer positions. It was not long before I found a sign-up sheet looking for volunteers who could help out with a local family day in the park. I hurriedly typed in my details before my brain could realize what I was doing and clicked Submit.
Since that day, I have not looked back. In the short span of 2 years, I had become a volunteer with 14 different organizations, helped up to 20 local events, and held 2 long-term volunteer positions. I am glad to say that this experience has been truly beneficial and overwhelmingly positive in more ways than one.
1. Mental Health
Volunteering can do wonders for your mental health, as it did for mine.
- Volunteering took my mind off of things. Being focused on helping others gave me a good mental break from overthinking my struggles. After a good volunteer shift, I often felt less stressed and in a better mood.
- As a volunteer, people tend to be very grateful for your presence. Their gratitude can be addictive as this means that they are typically friendly, helpful, and forgiving of errors made while volunteering. It’s a great place to look for more connections in the community.
- Volunteering can give you a sense of belonging. It provides you with a place in the community which can greatly help with feelings of homesickness or loneliness.
2. Meeting New People and Creating New Experiences
It is a great way to network and expand your social circles.
The sheer number of people I met through volunteering alone was outstanding. While there were some people whom I met only once, there were also others whom I met multiple times through different shifts. Unsurprisingly, the more time you spend with the same group of people, the closer you become.
Typically, this paves the way to spend time together outside of volunteering, especially if you share things in common like going to the same school, majoring in the same subject, or having similar interests. If you enjoy each other’s company but share nothing in common, fret not, because the fact that you’re an international student is most likely enough.
During my time in America, many of the people I met were genuinely eager to bring me to places I had never been to or even cook me food I had never eaten before. It was also through volunteering that I was able to connect with local employers and employees who were all keen to tell me about their line of work. It’s a fantastic way of discovering local companies and opportunities.
3. Better Understanding of American Culture
I consider my volunteering experiences vital to understanding the American culture. I was able to see the types of food Americans ate, listen to how Americans interacted with each other, and overall, observe American etiquette and customs. In return, I was able to make mental notes of everything I learned and better model myself to behave according to America‘s way of living.
Through this unfiltered exposure to the American community, I was able to enhance my relationships with my on-campus employers which helped work environments become less awkward. I was also able to learn how to communicate naturally and effortlessly with those around me. This not only further strengthened relationships but also created numerous new ones.
4. An Opportunity to ‘Work’ Without Violating your Student Visa
Unless you are pursuing a CPT or OPT, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be allowed to work off-campus on a student visa. That being said, there are only so many on-campus jobs that could pique your interest. My answer to this? You guessed it.
Regardless of your major, there are always volunteer positions that can help equip you with the skills you need in your career.
For example, I was able to significantly develop a variety of soft skills like communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership. These not only helped me excel in my on-campus jobs but also allowed me to feel confident in accomplishing seemingly daunting tasks like calling the bank, filing for my taxes, or making a doctor’s appointment.
Furthermore, it is also an opportunity to explore other areas you may be interested in. Want to cook? Find a soup kitchen. Want to make coffee? Find a volunteer barista position. Want to prevent suicides? Staff a local hotline. Want experience in sales? Help local events sell tickets and merch.
The possibilities are endless.
5. A Great Way to Complement and Supplement your Studies
If you are a humanities or social science student, you will find volunteering especially pertinent to your studies.
Volunteering has given me many ideas to explore academically in papers and classrooms. It has removed the barriers between what is discussed in class and what is experienced by our community. It is a great way to understand concepts like poverty, gender, race, intersectionality, and inequality. In turn, this paves the way for solutions that are informed, inclusive, and achievable.
Even if you are not a humanities or social science student, volunteering with an organization that relates to your field of study is a great way to enrich your studies and gain practical experience.
6. And Of Course, the Freebies.
If you’re volunteering for local events, it’s not uncommon to receive freebies.
- Free food and drink vouchers. These are usually given to all participating volunteers. They often have a fixed price but will usually get you a decent meal.
- Free refreshments like apples, granola bars, and drinks.
- Free volunteer merch like shirts, lanyards, badges, pens, and many more!
- Free discount vouchers for local businesses.
- Free parking passes.
Volunteer merch is great to have as it is usually exclusive to volunteers for no charge at all. Apart from this, there may also be events where organizers will allow you to take home free event merch for volunteering at the venue.
While these should not be the primary driver of your volunteer work, it is a pleasant reward for all your hard work!
The moral of the story is that it is common for us to have a narrow view of volunteer work as being unpaid and thus, undeserving of our attention. If this is your view, I hope this article has introduced a new perspective.
Many of us have the privilege to distance ourselves from the reality of social problems that persist in our communities. Volunteering helps close that distance while showing us the beauty of coming together as members of a society to help those who have been systematically disadvantaged.
It encourages us to find the time in our days and the kindness in our hearts to help the most vulnerable parts of our community. Above all, volunteering teaches us that sometimes, the things we do for this world should simply go beyond a paycheck.
