Volunteer Success Story

VOLUNTEER TO IVY LEAGUE:

Nicholas Graves’ Science Path To Success

At Orlando Science Center, volunteers are critical to the overall operations within the museum each day. Many of our volunteers are high school students earning credit hours while helping to inspire science learning within our community. When looking to volunteer for an organization, Nicholas Graves applied to Orlando Science Center because he always loved visiting as a child. Those fond memories along with his passion for science learning made it the perfect opportunity. Little did he know that was only the beginning of his path to science success.

Nicholas served as a volunteer and an intern before being named a prestigious Pritchard Scholar. After applying to colleges, Nicholas was accepted to a number of impressive schools, but decided to attend the Ivy League Cornell University, where he has just completed his first year.

In his applications, Nicholas cited his time at the Science Center as a crucial part of his development. While volunteering, he presented demonstrations on the exhibit floor and engaged families through our program offerings. As a Pritchard Scholar, he was also responsible for helping to care for animals in the NatureWorks exhibit. One of Nicholas’ favorite memories was showing bearded dragons to families. He said “watching a kid’s face light up with amazement as they pet a bearded dragon is just magical.”

Through his years as a volunteer, intern, and Pritchard Scholar, Nicholas enjoyed the camaraderie and sense of community he felt at the Science Center. Being here taught him how to be a team player. In high school, most of his work was based on individual assignments. The collaborative environment of the Science Center challenged his abilities as a team player and helped him learn how to communicate quickly and effectively. The communication, collaboration and conflict resolution skills he honed as a volunteer continue to help Nicholas daily during his time at Cornell University. How can high school students find similar success? Nicholas has shared some helpful tips:

My advice for all high schoolers is to make your summer count. I know it can seem tempting to lounge around for days on end, but summer is a great time to explore new interests and impress universities in the process. For example, you can spend your summers volunteering, working, learning a new language, or even taking classes online. Spend your summer doing something meaningful, and trust me, that passion and hard work will help you stand out in the college application process.

Orlando Science Center is grateful to Nicholas for his years of volunteer service and we are proud to have fostered and encouraged his creativity, leadership and interest in science. We look forward to continuing to provide these opportunities to more students and volunteers for many years to come.