Finding a passion that is helpful to others is a difficult task. I have been asked to accomplish this by Matt Samocki, assistant principal, through the IB CAS Programme at DHS. After months and months of debating on what I could do that I am passionate about, I realized that my passion is not entirely about what makes me happy; it is about learning and sharing what makes other people feel happy and important. Therefore, for my CAS Project, I have decided to ask teachers at our school to nominate students who they believe make a positive impact on the community by looking outside of themselves to promote positive attitude and the common good.

Two incredible people were brought to my attention: junior Mackenna Greene and sophomore Anna Mylvaganam. I interviewed Greene in person, and Mylvaganam over email, asking them both to tell me about what they do that they are passionate about that promotes positive attitudes and the common good in the community.

Greene has always had a passion for animals. She believes that animals are an important part of our community and bring happiness to others. Greene has been volunteering at an animal shelter for about eight years now, where she helps to care for and find homes for animals. Her greatest accomplishment was a fundraiser she had for the animal shelter where she exceeded her goal of $1,000, and ended up raising $5,000.

Mylvaganam is heavily involved in Key Club where she was just recently elected to be the Key Club President next school year. But, more importantly, Mylvagnam is passionate about making other people happy. Mylvaganam spreads smiles in little ways such as helping others whenever they need it, and greeting every person in her English class at the door with a smile and a friendly hello. Mylvaganam was able to reach out to even more people by attending the Service Leadership Convention this past March where she learned new leadership skills and policies to bring back to the school. She also organizes food drives and volunteers for different organizations through Key Club.

“I think people find the general idea of positivity really empowering,” Mylvaganam said. “I would hope other people would see the network of positive people working together and reaching out to the community.”