Saint Frederick High School
Attending: University of Mississippi
Hurricane relief drive organizer

“What is it like for you as a student here to be able to create such an impact?” says the local news reporter interviewing me. Nervous but excited about the project I was organizing, I say what I truly believe: “It is more than the signing off on service hours for me. It's about doing true actions of service from the heart to help other students like us.” As President of our Student Council, my goal has been to lead the student body in service projects; this occasion allowed us to serve another school, and to have an impact outside of our own community.

Around September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian swept in and slammed Fort Myers, Florida. Being a Category 4 hurricane, they were hit very strongly, destroying almost everything around the area. Schools were in need, homes were destroyed, and most importantly the people were devastated. Seeing the suffering they were obtaining, I decided to take action on this by having a small idea turn into a large reality. Knowing I had a voice to the students, I decided we needed to help these students. I located another private Catholic high school in Fort Myers, Bishop Verot, and contacted the administration. They were ecstatic that we could help and I gathered a list of items they needed to help their families recover from the hurricane.

Bringing this idea back to my school, everyone was extremely hands-on and enthusiastic to get this idea rolling. There was a major urgency in Florida for these needs, so we moved quickly. My school counselor helped me to promptly gather a large 18-wheeler and a driver for the supplies to reach Fort Myers. Letting the students know the plan of action, everyone immediately was on board. We filled up the whole truck with water and cleaning supplies to send to these families and students. The local news reporter was contacted and spread the story around the community. The project became larger and the whole community started to reach out. The mayor sent all donations he received to our truck; the churches around the community helped out, and even people who watched the local news stopped by. The impact of bringing leadership to others and reaching out to everyone in the community completely changed people’s lives in the Fort Myers community. The St. Frederick Warriors paired with the Verot Vikings to come together for one in Christ.

This was a project that I truly believed came from the heart of our students, reaching the hearts of the students in Florida. Realizing that if something this tragic were to happen to us, we would want the same helping hands for our community. The students at Bishop Verot were just like us, students with everything. Then one morning they woke up with nothing at all. As I told the reporter, "I believe coming together and challenging the community to help out makes a large impact." I realized something very important: through servant leadership, one person can help make a big difference in the lives of others miles away.