This past weekend, I volunteered at City Year's Serve-a-thon with a group sponsored by the Asian American Center. The AAC sponsors a group of students every year to do the Serve-a-thon and I've volunteered every year since my freshman year. It's always been a great experience. In the past, we've helped paint murals, clean parks, and fix torn up basketball courts at under funded schools and neighborhoods. This year, we helped brighten the Nathan Hale Elementary School in Roxbury. A few of us were given the task of painting a giant US map on the ground towards the back of the school to make it a more welcoming and usable space. After seeing the finished product, I was really proud of helping out to make the school a nicer place to be. The school will definitely be able to utilize the space for classes and/or recess.

Other people in our group and the other volunteers at the site were in charge of painting murals to be hung inside the school, painting four square and hopscotch courts in the playground, and planting a few trees and bushes.

Overall, it was a terrific day. The weather was perfect, and the City Year teams did a great job organizing the volunteering event. Thanks City Year! Also, a shout out to my friend Jaime Siochi for gathering people from Northeastern to be a part of the AAC Serve-a-thon team! Woot!