Molly Malik has committed herself to a variety of service activities during her high school years. Deb Peirce, a college and career specialist, reports that “While spending hundreds of hours volunteering, Molly has taken the initiative to jump in and create action where needed.”
Molly credits her commitment to service to the example set by her mother and father who, she says, “believe in doing right by others.” In her junior year, she and some of her classmates were motivated by the work of Heifer International whose mission statement explains, “Ending poverty begins with agriculture. We’re on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way by supporting and investing alongside local farmers and their communities.” Under her leadership, a group of about 35 students gave gifts of a cow and chickens to a family in Africa in honor of their geography teacher. The gifts have enabled the family to become self-sustaining entrepreneurs through the sale of milk and eggs. Molly still receives letters with updates of the family’s progress.
In her junior year, Molly was inspired by the mission of When We All Vote (WWAV), a nonpartisan organization whose mission is “to increase participation in every election and close the race and age voting gap by changing the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy, and through strategic partnerships to reach every American.”
By personal outreach, Molly registered people to vote in 2020 elections. She is a member of the WWAV mid-Atlantic region team where she has the title of ‘ambassador’. She organizes meetings, recruits team members, and takes a leadership role as a voting squad captain.
Beginning in January 2020, Molly volunteered at Reston Hospital Center every Saturday for four to five hours, dividing her time between the ER and the administrative wing. Her duties included completing paperwork with patients both entering the hospital and being discharged, helping to keep the functions in the lobby running smoothly, seeing to the comfort of patients and visitors, and providing directions within the building. Molly wanted to continue her service into 2021, but COVID restrictions did not permit the hospital to have in-person volunteers beyond April 2020.
Molly says she enjoys volunteer service because she feels it is important to be an active member of her community, and it makes her feel both resourceful and compassionate. She credits her service commitments with teaching her basic leadership skills such as communicating, working with others, and managing her time.