Everyone talks about the high school resume and showing colleges that you have contributed in some way to your community. Rather than looking at this as another box to check off on the road to college, I urge you to think of volunteering as your chance to inspire creativity in others. As a creative student, you are uniquely qualified to use your talents in innovative ways to change our world.

Are you a filmmaker? Contact a local non-profit and offer to create a short film that highlights their program and helps them to find community support.

Are you a visual artist? Find a local program where you can do art with children living in homeless shelters or help to sponsor arts-related programs for children in need. You will be able to use your passion to help someone else build their self-esteem.

Technically savvy? Volunteer at a local senior living facility. You can teach classes on how to use email and you will be a true hero if you can show seniors how to text their grandchildren.

Share your ideas here on my blog so we can work together to use our knowledge and creativity to advance the lives of others. Here are some links to volunteer organizations:

dosomething.org networkforgood.org volunteermatch.org servenet.org