Discus Award Winner
Winners Gallery
PHOTOS
Marissa Vodola
12th Grade, CT
ATTRIBUTES
Work
I have been working part time since I was a freshman in high school. I started off as an associate at Robeks Juice in Stamford, Connecticut. After it became too costly to drive two towns over to get to my job, I later applied for a position at a local grocery store. In December of 2011, I was hired at Walter Stewart's Market in my hometown. I work an average of 20 hours a week, usually once on the weekend and three days after school. It is sometimes hard to manage my homework, extracurricular activities, and a part time job, but in the end I'm able to manage my time wisely. This job has taught me a lot about customer service, hospitality, and how to be responsible when it comes to making time for all the necessary work.
Community Service
I am a part of the Congregational Church of New Canaan's youth group. We meet once a week on Sunday nights, whether it be to talk about our faith or to rake some leaves at nearby homes. This program gets me very involved in my community and gives me plenty of opportunities to help others. My favorite part of the program is their annual mission trip. In 2011, we went to Chicago, Illinois. Here, we renovated transition homes for families. In 2012, we went to Mississippi, where we had the opportunity to rebuild homes that were destroyed in Hurricane Sandy. The youth group at the Congregational Church has given me a variety of opportunities to help both myself and those in need. Aside from this, I also volunteer at the Stamford Hospital once a week on the patient support team.
Arts
I had always been a fan of graphic design, and when I took a course on it my sophomore year of high school, I fell in love with inDesign (the program used at our high school for graphic design). I was then inspired to sign up for our school's yearbook class. After working hard and impressing my teacher with my graphics and layouts, I was finally picked to be the layout editor for my senior year. I am in charge of creating layouts for the entire book this year, all 406 pages. Although I sometimes get frustrated and stress about deadlines, I am always able to work through the struggles and put in a little extra time and effort in order to get pages finished and send them in to be finalized.
