You can letter in sports and academics, and it is rumored you can even letter in prom. But this year the high school added another way to earn some credit (and that blue and white felted applique): volunteering. Volunteering for 211 hours, Nastaran Nassiri, is one of the first students to earn this varsity letter. But lettering is just one of the perks about giving her time to help others out; Nastaran has also realized the impact it can make on her own life too.
Every week, Nastaran takes a couple hours to help out at the Minnetonka Heights YMCA. Spending time with the kids that attend this after-school program, Nastaran sets up worksheets and books, chaperones field trips, answers homework questions, and photographs the activities for a final slideshow at the end of the year. She has volunteered at this program for the past two summers and continues this year. What makes her keep coming back is the relationships she has created and the “caring and fun community.”
Nastaran herself attended Minnetonka Heights as a kid, which is how she got involved as a volunteer. The experience she had there was a positive one, full of learning new things and going on fun field trips, so she decided to return the favor. “I looked back and wanted to reach out to others who’ve helped me,” Nastaran explains.
Spending time with the children and helping them with homework is what Nastaran looks forward to every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. “I love to see their faces when they get something right or enjoy what they are learning,” she says. Nastaran also loves getting to know each individual child. “All of the kids are very special and unique,” she tells me. As many of the attending children are from foreign countries such as Cambodia, Somalia, and Russia, Nastaran gets to learn about different cultures. “[It] is fascinating to me how communities can be very diverse and unique.”
However, you don’t have to volunteer for hours each day in order to make an impact. Even the small things, like donating a few bucks or a pile of your old clothes, are important. But no matter what the type of giving, Nastaran believes there is one thing you will always gain from the experience: “It’s the feeling that you did something worthwhile for people in need,” she explains, “and [assisting] them with their hopes and dreams.” But if you believe that volunteering just helps out those on the receiving end, think again. “[Volunteering] can truly impact your life big or small, just by giving back to your community and having fun,” says Nastaran.