Learning About Myself Through Volunteering by Kelly

Learning About Myself Through Volunteering by Kelly - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my childhood from middle school to high school, my aunt would take me to a Buddhist temple nearly every weekend so that I can both do my prayers and help in preparing the food that was to be sold. The food would always be vegetarian, and it would be sold to those who come to the temple and pray. Though the duties that I had to complete, like wrapping and labelling food, did not take as much work as the actual creation of the food, it was important in the efficiency of reaching a certain quota before the customers arrived.
Through this routine of preparing different types of vegetarian food, I learned that I enjoy a lot of vegetarian food by viewing it in a different light, and that I value the establishment of a routine that results in giving to the community. Moreover, I learned about myself that I am not the type of person to do things on the fly, I much prefer having a somewhat strict schedule to adhere to. Overall, it helped determine my values and the most optimal workstyle for me.
Before I started the volunteering, I had always been exposed to vegetarian food due to my family, but I never thought of it as anything more than a bland meal consisting of vegetables and rice. However, through preparing various vegetarian ingredients, like tofu and different starches and gluten, I learned that there is more to it that meets the eye. After learning and observing how it is created weekly, instead of viewing it as something that is simply part of a diet, my perspective of the food became more nuanced, that there is also a cultural and religious significance behind the food, which unconsciously made me enjoy it more. Although I am currently not vegetarian, I became more conscious of the things that I am consuming.
The routine of going to the temple every week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. doing the same duties that helped the Buddhist monks gave me a sense of security, in that I knew I could look forward to the same thing every week with no unexpected occurrences. It created a schedule that always had something to do during that time period. I came to enjoy this, learning that what works best for me to be the most satisfied and productive is to adhere to a schedule instead of doing things sporadically. To this day, I still apply this workstyle, especially in school.
Moreover, the results of my volunteering were also a gain for the community, being the food that the temple made. This feeling of gratitude and joy that people were able to buy the things that I helped prepare/make made me realize that I am inclined to want to help people in any way that I can. This inclination extended to what I decided to major in college, and what I want to do with that in the workforce. My volunteering experience made me learn that I highly value giving back to the community in any way I can, even if I do not receive many personal benefits of doing so.
Originally, this volunteering experience was just to simply tag along with my aunt to help in preparing food. Over time, the act of helping the monks to be able to sell food to customers and learning more about the food itself helped determine how I can be the most productive and satisfied, and allowed me to realize the underlying purposes of my intended career path.