Jate -Kamoze

I volunteered at the "Harvest Fest", hosted by the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. I helped facilitate activities for children, running a pumpkin themed Tic-Tac-Toe game, assisting with Jenga, and helping pack up the Connect Four game.

Through these activities, I helped create a welcoming environment for the children while supporting other volunteers. It definitely strengthened my communication, patience, and teamwork skills as I interacted with the children and helped them participate in the game. When it comes to biology, I focused on the brain and the nervous system. Games such as Jenga require individuals to process information, make decisions, and coordinate moves.

Overall, this experience showed me that serving the community can take many forms and that even small contributions can positively affect others.

I participated in a volunteer gardening session at the Vern Community Garden. I harvested crops, examined plants for pest damage, and planted seeds for two different plant types. I also gained new knowledge on the maintenance and production of crops, particularly on steep hillsides. The experience also strengthened my communication and teamwork skills as I worked alongside others to complete tasks.

Overall, I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with George Washington, and I’ll keep pushing myself to serve the community.

Volunteering with Zooniverse on the "Wildlife Recovery Project" taught me that I can still make an environmental impact even while working remotely. As part of my volunteer work, I identified different animal species captured by camera traps. My task was to categorize the animals into groups such as small mammals, birds, reptiles, or frogs. I then used the provided species options to identify the specific animal shown in each photograph.

Although identifying some species proved challenging, the experience was rewarding. I successfully classified over 40 animal entries, contributing to a broader citizen science effort to collect and organize wildlife data.

This event strengthened my analysis skills and reasoning skills by challenging me to recognize physical patterns, compare animal characteristics, and use careful reasoning to identify species. By examining different groups, I gained a greater appreciation for biodiversity and the variety of organisms in an ecosystem. I also recognized the importance of accurately identifying and documenting species because this information can help researchers study wildlife populations, monitor changes in biodiversity, and better understand the organisms within the environment.

Finally, it showed me how individual contributions, even small ones made remotely, can support environmental research and conservation efforts.

I volunteered at the Vern Garden at George Washington University, where I helped prepare the garden for the upcoming winter season. My activities included spreading cover crop seeds, collecting seeds from various plants, and removing invasive and unwanted vegetation. Through these activities, I contributed to maintaining the garden and supporting its continued growth. I also gained practical experience with seasonal planting strategies and garden maintenance.