I started volunteering through a program at Ohio State this year called the T.O.P.S. (Transition Options Post Secondary) Program at Ohio State. The program gives me the opportunity to volunteer with students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, and work with them in academic and social settings to help them to become more comfortable, confident, and independent in those settings. I think that this experience really helped me to develop an appreciation for diversity, and how important it is to accept and accommodate everyone’s differences. Volunteering through this program helped me to gain an appreciation for all that I have in life, but the importance in acknowledging and adapting to the differences that others may have in comparison to myself. It was an eye-opening experience; I became a better listener, a better leader, a better student, and a better friend. I was able to have the privilege of getting to know many of the T.O.P.S. students, and from interacting with them often and learning more about them, I was blown away by all of the strengths that each and every one of them have, and how much each of them can offer to this world. I was challenged by being put in situations that I have never been in before, and surrounded by a community that I hadn’t been exposed to before. This helped me to develop a global perspective by gaining a much better understanding of people within this community, and how rewarding it is to be a friend and a mentor to these students.