[caption id="attachment_101959" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Sonoma State University Student Volunteer of the Year Claudia Sisomphou shops for supplies for Food for Thought programs.[/caption]
Age: 19
Residence: Forestville
Background: Since middle school I have been involved in a variety of different volunteer activities including participating and leading events for the American Cancer Society and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, traveling and teaching in South America with Global Student Embassy, and joining the wonderful volunteer family at the HIV/AIDS food bank Food for Thought.
Education: El Molino High School: 2009–2013; Sonoma State University: 2013–present.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. I am a first-generation American. My mother is from France, and my father is from Laos. I am also the first member of my family to go to college. I grew up in Forestville my whole life.
Tell us about your volunteer activities. At Food for Thought I do a variety of tasks including taking client orders, organizing the front shelf display, and breaking down bulk products. I help with food drives throughout the county and multiple fundraisers, the most recent being Calabash where the community raised $62,000 for the food bank. I also brought Food for Thought’s HIV/AIDS Anti-stigma Campaign to my University.
What draws you to volunteering? Volunteering gives me the opportunity to let go of any negativity, stress, or anxiety I am feeling about my life or about society. It makes me focus on what I can do to help my community and those in need, and allows me to surround myself with others who are passionate about similar issues and that are making a positive difference in this world.
To what do you attribute your desire to help others? I have always admired and respected those who dedicate their lives to helping others, but it wasn’t until I started volunteering at Food for Thought that I became aware of my own potential to become one of these activists. Food for Thought taught me that judgement and stigma will only limit your understanding of others, and that compassion is the greatest gift that you can share with someone. They challenged me to see life from a different perspective and empowered me to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves.
What achievement are you most proud of? My senior year of high school I signed up to participate in a marathon with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program. For ten months I trained for the event and raised over $2,000 for the cause. The day after I graduated I jumped in my car and headed to San Diego where I ran the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. This experience pushed both my body and my emotions to the limit, and I am now confident that I can achieve any goal I set for myself.
What is your biggest challenge today? My biggest challenge today is encouraging others my age to get involved in the community and to find what they are passionate about. It is not so much about convincing them why they should, it is more about making volunteering a lifestyle instead of a chore.
Unfortunately, the way most community service is presented to my generation is as a requirement for a class or a club, as opposed to an enrichment of the mind or an extension of learning that simply can’t be taught in a classroom.
What is the next major project either under way or on the horizon? I am a part of a group of farmers called the Sonoma Student Growers Cooperative, and my next big project is to put in place a bylaw to designate a portion of our produce to Food for Thought, and other community food banks and nutrition programs.
How do you volunteering will change in the next five years?
I hope that within the next five years volunteering will become an important and valued part of people’s lives. I think that with all the uncertainty of climate change and the fear of global terrorism people are searching and in need of a source for hope, but I believe that volunteering can bring us together and give us that hope. Not only will their experience motivate them to speak out against issues in society, it will also give them the chance to see the good and beauty that is inside all people. In the next five years I expect that volunteering and community engagement will be some of the most important values taught to children and students as they grow.
Most admired person: If I can only choose one person who I admire the most I would have to say that person is Wangari Maathai. She started the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, inspired local women to germinate and plant millions of trees, and throughout her life fought for democracy, human rights, and environmental conservation. She truly is a hero, and was able to change the world by first starting in her own community.
Current reading: The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Stress-relievers: Tai chi, eating great food and going on long walks
Words that best describe you?: Passionate, driven and caring
Anything you want to add?: This award reassures me that I am on the right path.
[caption id="attachment_101960" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Claudia Sisomphou volunteers as a server at a Food for Thought event.[/caption]
