Volunteering at the Miami Rescue Mission started out as a chore for Coral Gables High School senior Erin Williams, but soon became a joy.
“At first I was trying to find a community service for school,” he said. “I saw they helped a lot of homeless people. I wanted to be a part of their team because I loved their team.”
He worked there during the summer and whenever he could during the school year.
“I helped their staff plan their big events,” he said. “Like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I usually interacted with the people who were coming to volunteer.”
Williams liked knowing that he worked with people who had been homeless and had turned their lives around, and now are employed by the rescue mission.
At school, Williams is in involved in Cavs Connect, the school’s online news website, as a staff writer.
“It’s strictly student run,” he said. “I usually find myself writing sports because I like sports the best.”
He also is in Future Business Leaders of America and competed in the annual competition last school year.
“Last year I competed in business, ethics and management,” he said. “But this year I hope to compete in accounting. I took accounting my sophomore year in high school and I developed a strong like for accounting.”
In college, Williams wants to take a mix of journalism and business classes. He applied to several Florida state universities as well as Howard University, St. Johns University and the University of Miami.
By participating on the school’s news website, he discovered he likes reporting on big events at school and in the community.
Williams also is on the board of the new Gay Straight Alliance Club
“My friend actually started the club because Gables didn’t have a club and she asked me to get on the board,” he said. “We talk to GSA youths in Gables and outside the school.”
— By Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
