John Bayeux - Wrote a college essay about volunteering with SHARE

Cheers to John Bayeux, for writing one of his college essays on SHARE!  John has been working with SHARE since it began, in 2008, and looks forward to assisting the group in the future.  John believes that SHARE has given him an opportunity to channel his service efforts through helping the Tanzanian girls, and has changed his life forever.  Currently a senior at Ridge High School, in Basking Ridge, NJ, John will be attending DeSales University in the fall.  He is a captain of the Ridge Winter and Spring Track teams, and will continue running in college.  Click "Read more" to see his amazing essay!

College Essay on SHARE

When one of my close friends asked me to participate in her new venture, I realized I never participated in anything like this before. My friend started SHARE (Shannon’s After School Reading Exchange) in Tanzania, Africa three years ago. The organization promotes the education of young girls in African villages by collecting, labeling, and shipping them books and school supplies. Before our first group meeting, I was not sure exactly what we would be doing. However when I arrived and saw all of my friends at work labeling and sorting books, I knew we were going to be a part of something big.

My friend Shannon, and her family organized us into groups to label, sort and box books for shipment. Each time the group meets to label and sort the books, the meetings often turn into social events. I feel that when attending these meetings, I have the chance to bond with my friends and escape from the stress of school. When working for SHARE, I instantly feel that I am impacting the world. Within the first year of the organization’s existence, 5000 books were shipped. Shannon and her family traveled to the girl’s village classrooms, and completely set up the classroom with the new books. After each trip, Shannon returns home with updates on how the girls are doing. I have not even met these girls, and they have impacted my life. Hearing about the hardships that these girls face everyday makes me realize how things like books, and pencils, which I take for granted, are so important and are cherished possessions to them. I have been inspired by the drive that the girls have to walk miles to the SHARE classrooms each day. Now, three years later, volunteering for this organization has become something that my friends and I enjoy doing together. SHARE has expanded its number of classrooms in Tanzania to four.

Although I have been involved in numerous service projects, I never felt so enlightened by one before. It is amazing to think about how such a small act, like sorting books, or loading boxes into a truck, can have such a large impact on the lives of so many grateful girls. The feeling that you are participating in something bigger than you can imagine is incredible. Overall, volunteering for SHARE has taught me about the world and has made me realize how lucky I am. I no longer take things as simple as a book or a notebook for granted, and I now truly appreciate how much I have to be grateful for in my own life.