A High School Student Finds the Role of Her Life

By Kat Howland | September 19, 2007

I thought I was a perfectly normal teenager. My life was schoolwork, sports, hanging out with friends and spending time with family. Then I discovered my superpowers and a secret identity.

I was at a Serv-A-Palooza Party at the top of a tall bouncy slide when a small hand grabbed my leg.

"Are you a mommy or a helper?" a boy whispered, clearly terrified.

"Not a mommy!" I laughed to myself.

"I'm a helper." I reassured him.

He held on tight and we flew down the slide together. Our whole relationship probably lasted two minutes. But he changed my life forever.

I first learned about service in middle school spending a few afternoons each week at a City Year after school program. We planted gardens, painted a homeless shelter, packed boxes at the NH Food Bank and helped organize the first National Youth Service Day event in Portsmouth, NH. I thought service and helping were verbs. A fun activity, a social event, something you do.

At the top of that slide I realized that I love being a helper. I like solving problems. It feels good to make a difference. It's not something I do, it's who I am. I'm a helper. It's the label I care about most. More than preppie, jock, geek, Hollister, iPod or any other label. My identity is defined by my ability to help.

In 2007 City Year New Hampshire celebrated it's sixth National Youth Service Day with projects across the state. On the Seacoast, close to 200 volunteers cleaned Pierce Island in Portsmouth collecting 33 bags of trash (weighing 673 pounds) to protect marine life along the Atlantic coastline. It was a gorgeous sunny day at the shore with volunteers from area high schools working alongside girl scouts and brownies.

At the end of the day our City Year leaders inspired us to carry the spirit of National Youth Service Day with us throughout the year. To do more. To remember that one person can make a difference. We learned that hard work reveals hidden superpowers of strength and purpose.

Thank you to City Year, AmeriCorps, Youth Service America, the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, generous corporate partners like State Farm Insurance, The Timberland Company, T-Mobile, Parade Magazine and all of the passionate volunteers who have helped me discover my place in the world. I'm a helper.