Sometimes all we need are some inspiring words to motivate us in seeing life in a better light.  Here are some of my favorite quotes, as well as stories I've been told by others, that have helped me a lot during my journey.  If you have any inspirational quotes or stories you would like to share, please do so by emailing me!

My passion towards volunteer service was inspired by my father. I remember my father and his friends donating coal for heating in winter to an orphan primary school in Tibet each year. As I grew up, my father recommended that I teach as a volunteer in that primary school during one of my summer vacations. I was never exposed to the situation and by the time I arrived, I felt the problems viscerally. The culture, religion, and even language being different are understatements. The infrastructure needed to nullify the education gap was non-existent and at the time, the only value add was bringing in more teachers who had free time for service. The school also experienced a financial crisis because they had no eligible accountant to record the income and expenses. Besides teaching students, I also helped them to build an accounting system which solved the dilemma.
After entering college, I still actively sought volunteer opportunities. One of the most memorable experiences was the childcare program in Lima, Peru. I worked at an orphanage for children suffering mental and physical disabilities where the majority walked with crutches or sat on wheelchairs. More than half of them needed to be fed by others. But due to lack of funding, workers cannot do the essentials like feeding them every meal or engage in physical activities. Though the communication was hard, I still used my body language to build relationships with every child. For some children whose mental disabilities are not severe, they could understand a few words and some short sentences. So I learned some simple Spanish words like “Buenos días” and “Encantado de conocerte” to get us closer. I could feel the delight when I gave my greetings and they would smile at me or say a few words back.
Besides lack of workers daily upkeep, the orphanage had barely a place for children to play. Therefore, I organized other volunteers to build a garden in an open field. Accounting for children sitting in wheelchairs, we built many facilities like ramped access and assisted handrails in the garden. My suggestion was supported by other volunteers and the orphanage. For the rest of days in this program, except doing daily care for children, we designed the layout and built a model at the first stage. Then we bought shovels and dug the dirt at the backyard of the orphanage. The hands-on experience was extremely exhausting but all volunteers in the group enjoyed the working process since we all believed the garden would provide the children a better living environment after completion. During the time we built the garden, a couple from Columbia joined us. They met in a volunteer program and decided to participate in more volunteer programs. They said they all had a tight schedule on their jobs but still used vacations to go around countries in South America to help people who need help the most. Although the garden was unfinished when I left this program, the orphanage added this task in their work log and the upcoming volunteers would continue to finish the remaining work.
Volunteer opportunities to me, personally, are a way to get in touch with people with different cultures and living backgrounds, and to help them with the abilities I have. As an industrial engineering and product design student, I always want to know what people really need in their life. I envision my future career path to work on a service system. It is important for me to deal with the interaction between technologies and people and take social responsibilities in my personal and professional life. Volunteering is not just about helping others. You are preventing yourself from succumbing to isolation, which leads to demotivation to do anything. By going out there, you will feel alive. Start looking up and contribute. You may think that you might not add value to the people around you, but trust me, that is not the case. I didn’t know anything back then, and I made a lot of mistakes. It’s the initiative that matters, and that small act makes all the difference.