Pasadena High School

DEVANY BALBUENA

Devany’s passion for volunteering began when she volunteered at a personal law injury office, helping families receive access to legal services at low costs. Outside of school, Devany would volunteer at Kivato Education Center, a program that offers tutoring services for disadvantaged communities. As a volunteer at the Education Center, she assisted with website design and formatting.

Devany volunteers because she wants to do her part to help minimize the disparities between affluent and low-income families. Being part of the Education Center has granted her the privilege to contribute to the education of students like her.

After graduation, Devany is interested in majoring in mechanical engineering. After engineering school, she plans to pursue a law degree in hopes of becoming an attorney.

“IT IS MY PASSION TO BE ABLE TO DECREASE DISPARITIES THROUGH VOLUNTEERING. ” ~ DEVANY

BEATRIZ EMILY CASTANEDA

Beatriz is proud to be able to volunteer and give back to the Hispanic community.

Her most memorable volunteer opportunity was being able to organize a donation drive for

Honduras after a Hurricane devastated the area.

This endeavor was especially meaningful to

Beatriz since both of her parents were born in Honduras. Over time, several local businesses allowed Beatriz to host donation drives where she gathered items before sorting and shipping them to Honduras. Seeing the smiling faces of the individuals receiving the donations made all the hard work worth it; and, as a bonus, Beatriz was able to work alongside several classmates.

Beatriz also sewed covers for oxygen masks for kids at Texas Children’s Hospital and assisted in the National Honor Society’s Oktoberfest event.

She plans to attend the University of Mary Hardin Baylor and pursue a career in nursing.

“VOLUNTEERING OFFERS ME THE ABILITY TO GIVE BACK TO THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY.” ~ BEATRIZ

DIANA DIAZ

Diana’s volunteer journey began during an event at Queens Intermediate where she helped students prepare for their solo and ensemble showcases. During the event, Diana noticed a student struggling to learn how to read music. She took the initiative to teach the student using the color-coding method. This minor change helped the student excel and even receive a medal for their solo performance.

Assisting other individuals taught her the value of giving back. It also helped her realize that there is no uniform way to learn.

This experience, along with her passion for music, has inspired her to pursue a music education degree from Texas State University in hopes of one day becoming a music teacher.

“I VOLUNTEER BECAUSE I GET TO PAY IT FORWARD TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE POSITIVELY INFLUENCED MY LIFE.” ~ DIANA

VANESSA GARCIA PEREZ

Volunteering has been a rewarding experience for Vanessa. It has allowed her to gain many memories, make new friends and meet other great volunteers.

Some of these volunteer efforts have included assisting with a donation drive for a country devastated by a natural disaster, helping intermediate school coaches with practice and providing assistance during several citywide community events. One of her favorite volunteer efforts was Pasadena’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. Being able to see the community come together to enjoy the Christmas festivities made her experience truly memorable. Cleaning up after events is always special as Vanessa enjoys returning a space back to its natural state, free of trash and clean.

Volunteering has allowed

Vanessa to expand many of her skills by contributing on team projects as well as getting to know the environment a bit better through the recognition of public issues.

She plans to attend the University of HoustonDowntown to major in biology so she can one day become a physician assistant.

“BEING ABLE TO VOLUNTEER HAS ALLOWED ME TO EXPAND MY SKILLS AND GET TO KNOW MY ENVIRONMENT BETTER.” ~ VANESSA

LESLIE RODRIGUEZ

Leslie volunteers for the Continuing Catholic Education office of her church where she assists with taking attendance and filing documents. This experience has been doubly beneficial as Leslie has had the opportunity to make new friends while also having the ability to give back and help others.

Leslie recognizes that ever since she started volunteering, she has grown as an individual. She not only feels that volunteering steered her toward the right path, but it also helped her gain the confidence to believe in herself. She said that although it may take her some time to reach her goals, as long as she continues to put in the work and push herself, she can do it.

Leslie plans to attend the University of Houston-Clear Lake and obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.