This fall, I got to volunteer for the Columbus Marathon at the water station near mile 17. For this event, I got to work with a lot of fellow Dunn Sports and Wellness Scholars so having a friend everywhere I turned made my experience that much better. Before the race started, I helped set up tables, filled and passed out cups with water and Gatorade, and I cheered the runners on once the race began. Although we volunteered for about 5 hours, it was a lot of fun and seeing all the runners inspired me and my suitemates to run the half marathon next year. By volunteering, I felt that I was able to give back to the Columbus community and help make the runners experience a bit better by supporting them. A leader must be supportive of their group and teammates and, although I didn’t know any of the runners, I felt I was supporting them by encouraging them to keep going and to finish strong. Because of service learning, I am more aware of how impactful positivity and encouragement is. I think a leader must remain positive in times of distress and keep encouraging members in order to keep the group positive and successful.
