A minimum of 12 service hours is required every year for sophomores, leaving many students volunteering at new places and programs. Sophomore Anja Trierweiler split her service hours in half, starting in Alabama.

“I’m originally from Alabama, so I went back [to Alabama] for the summer since my dad still lives there and commutes to Minnesota,” she said.

While in Alabama, Trierweiler volunteered at a Girl Scouts camp for around 50 hours in the span of two weeks. She spent the majority of her time at the camp watching over young campers with the help of a group of other counselors.

“For the weeks that I was at the camp, I stayed in charge of the same group of girls since it was a week-long overnight camp. Staying with the same group for the whole week really helped me connect with the campers and get to know them,” she said.

After traveling back to Minnesota for the end of the summer, Trierweiler spent her time volunteering at the Minnesota Children’s Museum.

“Working at the Children’s Museum was a very similar experience, mostly because I was in charge of children again,” Trierweiler said.

Her bond with the kids at the Children’s Museum was shifted in comparison to the Girl Scouts camp because she was introduced to new kids each day.

“Different kids came in every day, all with different personalities and levels of craziness,” Trierweiler said.

Working with the same group of student volunteers helped Trierweiler keep a routine.

“The other student volunteers usually stayed the same depending on the week, making the job easier. Growing closer to the other volunteers helped the work go smoother,” she said.

Never having had a paid job before, Trierweiler was unsure of what to expect when beginning her volunteering.

“Before volunteering, I had never had a paid job so these experiences really helped me realize that working can be fun and easy. I was friends with a lot of my coworkers which helped make me want to volunteer past my service hour requirement,” she said.

When she can, Trierweiler continues to volunteer at the Children’s Museum during the school year. Her advice to anyone interested in volunteering is simple.

“Find volunteer opportunities that interest you and it will help the job feel easier, making you want to volunteer more,” Trierweiler said.