Louisa Rich-Gayko

Yarn with crochet hooks sticking out of it sits in nature, representing two of my passions that I have turned into volunteering. I love crocheting and have been able to donate projects I have made to kids in need. I have also recently done several service events to help keep local parks and beaches clean.

A student sits on their phone, eager to get back to their pile of homework and waiting to finish the three hours of volunteering they are doing for something they couldn’t care less about.

That student was me last year. Volunteering is a great extracurricular for high school students to include on their college applications. But for many, that is the only reason to volunteer, and it is killing students’ passions.

Volunteering should not be just a checkbox that students feel pressured to check for college applications or job resumes. Yet, it has become that and stopped being about helping people. 

There is a difference between volunteering because you care and volunteering because you feel like you have to. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, volunteering for something you are passionate about has many benefits, including pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, providing a space to learn, and helping you connect more with your community. 

On the other hand, those who are motivated by the rewards of volunteering are less likely to stay engaged long-term and will not reap all the benefits of doing something they are passionate about. 

Last year, after joining a club with various volunteering opportunities and spending hours at seemingly useless events I was not passionate about, I realized something had to change. I was only motivated by how it would look on my college application and forgot to focus on helping my community by doing something I truly enjoy. 

In the past few months, I have found new events, like beach cleanups and other volunteering opportunities, where I can help the environment because it is something I am passionate about. 

Now, after a couple of hours of volunteering, I feel energized and motivated to continue helping, rather than exhausted. That distinction matters because organizations need people who care enough to stay involved and are willing to invest more time in work that matters to them. 

According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, resume padding comes as a result of the immense pressure placed on young people to obtain a good college education. Many high schoolers hold the belief that volunteering is the key to college admissions, which makes them more motivated to help the community for the wrong reasons.

Ironically, colleges seem to understand this better than students do, as they often emphasize authenticity and long-term involvement in volunteering. So, at the end of the day, when you are jumping around different events, trying to get as many hours as possible, you should realize that passion stands out more than perfection. 

Another important aspect that students volunteering for resume padding are losing is time. Between homework, exams, and the pressure to constantly outperform others, students have limited free time to spend on things that genuinely matter to them. 

So, when students invest in causes they truly care about, their service becomes much more valuable than an application booster.