American University student chooses nonprofit media as a major

(This post was originally written May 31, 2009)

The third installment in our series of youth volunteer stories is from Tasha Miley currently a student at American University and a member of Alpha Phi Omega the coed community service fraternity.

Typically people volunteer because they want to make a difference in the lives of others. There is nothing wrong with this mentality; in fact, that was the mindset I had when I started to volunteer. However, since volunteering with Pass It Along my outlook on service has transformed into something much more meaningful. I have realized the impact volunteering has made on my own life.

The programs and projects I have organized and participated in with Pass It Along have helped shape me as a leader and an individual. The experiences I had while volunteering with Pass It Along helped me discover my love for filmmaking and influenced my decision to become a film major in college. Pass It Along ignited within me the desire to be a voice for social change through documentary film and non-profit media. Pass It Along is not just an organization that provides youth with opportunities to serve, but instead it is an organization that provides individuals with the opportunities to mature, learn, and grow.

I have learned more valuable life lessons and leadership skills through volunteering with Pass It Along then I did all four years of high school. The lessons and skills that I acquired over these past few years have proved to be invaluable not just at home, but also at school and in the workforce. What I want people to realize is that Pass It Along is not just a typical nonprofit, it is so much more than that. Pass It Along is an organization that creates sustainable change not just in the community, but in its volunteers as well, change that will last a lifetime.

-Maria Miley