Sunday Student Spotlight
“Colorado Young Leaders is a group of passionate young people that all share a common goal of having fun while bettering the community around them. It is our job to inspire our peers to have this same yearning to help others.”
This week, we want you to meet our CYL Youth Advisory Board Vice President, Will Palmquist. He decided to make this spotlight easy on us… here is Will to tell his story.
“My Name is Will Palmquist. I am 16 years old and a junior at Denver East High School. As Vice President of the CYL Youth Advisory Board, I am responsible for leading major events during the course of the year. While planning is necessary for events to run smoothly, my favorite part of the process is participating in the service event. My most memorable experiences have been the actual “hands-on” part of every project. Whether that be kayaking with NSCD or camping with Colfax Community Network, the active part of each volunteer opportunity is the most fun for all parties involved. I enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, and of course, volunteering.
That is why I fell in love with CYL. CYL has shown people that you can volunteer while also having fun. This approach to community service is unique in its ability to inspire people to help the community around them. As a result, when the actual volunteering occurs, everyone has an unforgettable experience. This helps to create a whole generation of youth that are passionate about what they are doing. In the end, CYL inspires more people to volunteer and a greater force of change in the community is created.
Before joining CYL, volunteering was a burden. I would do the bare minimum required by my school or sports team. After joining I realized that volunteering should be an enjoyable experience. This has reshaped my approach to volunteer work. I now find myself telling my friends to join CYL so they can experience the same things I have.
CYL has changed me from an indifferent volunteer to a passionate one, eager for more.
By supporting this organization you are becoming a part of the community. You are allowing us to keep helping the community around us. This support, through volunteering or donations, is invaluable to the mission and goal of CYL. “If you build it they will come” (Field of Dreams)
Nicole has built an organization that allows likeminded teens to utilize their skills to help the world around them. In doing so, more and more teens are coming to CYL looking to have fun while volunteering. CYL has allowed me to help my community and volunteer for good causes. I have been able to have an impact on those we are helping, but I realize that they are having a much bigger impact on me. Having fun and interacting with people from all walks of life has contributed greatly to mydevelopment as a person.
One of my favorite memories was during the Colfax Community Network camping trip. One of the kids, Alex, reminded me a lot of myself. He was the youngest of all the kids on the trip and constantly struggled to keep up with his older peers. Following our rafting adventure, the kids were all allowed to slide off of the bottom side of an overturned raft into the water. Alex watched on quizzically for he didn’t know if he was big enough to participate. After all of the kids had gone, he bravely stepped up and began his run towards the raft. Unfortunately the slide left him crying and scratched up, but Alex didn’t let it affect the rest of his trip. Despite having a rough time on the slide, he was soon back at it, trying his hardest to keep up with the older kids. Watching Alex go through this process reminded me a lot of myself. Growing up as the youngest in my family, I always had to keep up with the older kids. Alex taught me to always persevere and not let a small failure get in the way of having fun.
I love CYL and the different ways it has helped me grow as a person, and young man. It get’s me less nervous for the future and more excited for the opportunities that lie ahead. At this point, I really want to go to a very good college or university where I can play soccer. I have played soccer since I was little and would hate for next year to be my final year of competitive soccer. My main priority is to go to a school where I can figure out what my true passions are and decide a career path that incorporates what I am passionate about.
If you’ve been questioning joining CYL or it’s mission, I challenge you to come to one of our events, and see just how powerful this organization is. It’s a beautiful thing to be apart of.” Come explore a New Way to Lead with us!
Can you help us inspire more young people like Will? A donation as little as $10 a month helps us continue to help our young people right incredible stories with their lives!