Fiona Zheng is a 16 year old New York resident. When asked what inspires her in life, she had no trouble coming up with a response. Fiona says that a woman named Eglantyne Jebbs is one of her greatest role models.
Eglantyne Jebbs was an infamous British social reformer who established the ‘Save the Children organization.’ Fiona describes Jebbs as someone who was truly selfless. She always prioritized the health and safety of children and even during World War I, she was worried about the rights of children being less valued and protected than that of adults. Jebb started the Save The Children organization because she wanted to make sure that children were guaranteed the future that they deserved.
With that, Fiona is extremely passionate about volunteering. Fiona states, “I have always loved the idea of giving back to the community. I’ve been taking volunteer opportunities since about the sixth grade.” And since then, she has amassed over 1000 service hours. She takes every opportunity that she finds in hopes that it will make an impact on the world. She is a firm believer that even though there are many people that do more than her, every hour she puts in really counts in bettering her community.
When asked the reason for her passion, she stated how it makes her really happy to be able to help people that are at more of a disadvantage than herself. As a minority student herself, Fiona finds it really important to help students that find themselves in a similar situation. She feels a sense of satisfaction knowing that people will know that she is there to help them and provide support.
Fiona says “This feeling is much better than receiving any sort of money or reward.” Fiona’s most recent endeavor was starting her own club under the Save The Children Organization. The organization strives to make sure that Eglantyene Jebbs’ legacy is upheld. They also focus on advocating and fundraising for children’s rights and needs. She really wanted to be a part of the organization because she firmly believes that it is a good cause.
Her main hope is that this experience will make her passion for volunteering grow even more because this is her very first time taking the initiative to start her own project. Fiona hopes that she can encourage others around her to do the same thing and with that she will be able to make a bigger impact on her community. Fiona is one of the many good samaritans around the world that work to better the world. Together, we can all make a difference no matter how big nor how small.