“It is important to be involved in your community for many reasons. I chose to be involved because it allows me to get to know the people in my community, make new relationships and view the world from different aspects. If I’m only able to view the world my way, then I have failed at living,” says Makayla Amma Anderson, a graduated senior from St. Mary’s Dominican High School.
Anderson was highly involved both in her school and community. She volunteered with Dominican Sisters of Peace Center, where she helped tutor children who lived in the neighborhood. She also volunteered at Covenant Nursing Home where she assisted the elderly during afternoon activities, such as games and snack time.
“To me, children and the elderly seem to be the most neglected groups in today’s society, so it makes me feel good just to be there and help, even with the little things,” says Anderson.
One of Anderson’s most rewarding experiences has been working at the Peace Center. Many of the children she met at the Peace Center grew on her, and she was able to form real relationships with these children.
“I was able to not only assist them with the academic aspect of their lives, but when they weren’t having a good day, I was able to talk them through it and see life from their point of view,” says Anderson.
Through her activism, she gained life-long friendships, mentors and a larger support system. Through her experiences, Anderson has realized that even something as small as asking someone how their day went could brighten it up.
Haley Williams inspired Anderson to become a student activist. Williams stands up for herself and her friends, even when there’s a controversial matter.
“Haley takes the time to understand the opposing and supporting sides of both parties, which is crucial to being an activist. Most people don’t realize that understanding or trying to understand both sides shows effort to resolve the issue,” says Anderson.
Anderson is attending Tulane University in the fall of 2019, and she wants to become a neonatal physician to help premature and sick children; when Anderson was born, she weighed only 2 pounds 9 ounces. One of Anderson’s biggest dreams is to open an overnight daycare for less fortunate parents.
