V O L U N T E E R E X P E R I E N C E
S C H O L A R S H I P E S S AY • E N V I R O N M E N TA L A D V O C A C Y
MOST PEOPLE PICTURE VOLUNTEERING
as handing out water bottles at a charity
run or sorting canned goods for a holiday drive. My reality for the past three years has been
drastically different. It involves standing knee-deep in coastal pluff mud at sunrise, hauling forty-
pound bags of recycled oyster shells to build living shorelines. When I first joined the Coastal
Conservation Coalition as a high school junior, I was simply looking to fulfill a graduation
requirement. I had no idea that volunteering would fundamentally rewrite my understanding of
resilience, community, and my own career trajectory.
Coastal erosion in my home state is a quiet crisis, slowly stripping away marshlands that protect
inland communities from storm surges. Our volunteer team’s objective was to create artificial oyster
reefs, which act as natural breakwaters. The work was physically agonizing. For the first few months,
I went home with blistered hands and aching shoulders, questioning my commitment. However, true
volunteerism demands looking past temporary discomfort toward long-term impact. The defining
moment of my experience occurred the morning after a Category 2 hurricane swept through our
region. When our team went to assess the shoreline, we found that the marsh grass behind our hand-
built reef was completely intact, having absorbed the brunt of the storm's energy. I realized then that
meaningful environmental change is not glamorous; it is slow, deliberate, and literally built by hand.
This realization directly inspired my decision to pursue a degree in Coastal Environmental
Science. I am currently a sophomore, focusing my coursework on marine ecology and sustainable
infrastructure. My ultimate career goal is to work as an environmental planner for state agencies or
conservation nonprofits, designing and implementing nature-based solutions to climate change and
rising sea levels. I want to transition the lessons I learned in the mud into large-scale, funded policy.
