LIFT volunteer and George Washington University senior Bishara Addison was recently quoted in US News and World Report entitled "Dear Commencement Speaker: Inspire Me: College seniors task graduation speakers to give advice on succeeding in this tough economy," where she spoke about her extensive volunteer and leadership experience, particularly with LIFT.
The Obama family will have a busy speaking schedule in May as Michele Obama will also be speaking to two universities—George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., as well as the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, an HBCU located an hour outside of Little Rock. Julie Bindelglass, a junior and president of GWU's Student Association, wrote Obama a letter asking her to speak at their community service day in September 2009. Unable to make that speaking arrangement, the First Lady vowed that if the university completed 100,000 hours of community service, she would speak at their commencement ceremony. The students, faculty, staff, and board of trustees embraced the challenge and clocked 100,006 hours—a month before the May 1 deadline. Since many members of the university community continue to volunteer, the university expects to accumulate even more hours toward the total, which will be revealed during the graduation ceremony on the National Mall.
Bishara Addison, a senior at GWU who plans to work for AmeriCorps after graduation, has logged more than 300 hours of community service since the fall. She volunteered many hours providing work force development for low-income individuals through the local and national chapters of the non-profit organization LIFT. She also coordinated several Alternative Spring Break trips for university students. She hopes Obama speaks to her graduating class about the importance of service and giving back to one's community. "I think her speech will be about students incorporating their academic and service experiences into how they engage in the workforce." She says the challenge showcased the idea of what Addison calls "silent hero-ship." "By volunteering, you're discovering the hero within yourself," she says. "Her challenge brought out these silent heroes you may not have seen otherwise; I think it's pretty powerful."
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