Intern Spotlight
Shieana Xie
Fall 2016 Intern
Lowell
Class of 2020
How has community service impacted your life?
I feel grateful toward volunteers for spending their free time helping their community. These people improve our lives, sometimes by cleaning their neighborhood or just by being a role model. When I was a child, my parents and I barely volunteered while my friends did all these extracurricular activities. Meanwhile I was very shy so I barely talked to anyone I didn't know, so when parent volunteers would come and talk to me I felt happy. This inspired me to also help people and make them happy.
When did you start volunteering with Heart In Motion?
I started volunteering with Heart in Motion in September 2016. My first event was the Giant Race where I passed out water and drink with electrolytes to racers. When I first got there, it was cold and dark but as the race started my energy went up. During this event, I hadn't yet met anyone in Heart in Motion so I just hung out with my sister's friends, which was still enjoyable. When I first started volunteering, I was a ninth grader who was excited to try new things, but as I got more associated with the organization, I learned to treat the people as more of a family instead of seeing it as an "extracurricular activity".
Why did you start volunteering with HIM?
My sister was already an officer with Heart in Motion when I started volunteering. Some people assumed that I was just following my sister's shadow, but the truth is that I started volunteering because I wanted to make an impact on the world and gain social experience before graduating from high school. I also saw Heart in Motion as a good way to meet new people and hang out with my friends outside of school. To me, Heart in Motion is a stepping stone to my life goal by helping me become comfortable with new people and new situations. It allows me to learn new skills that I could not learn anywhere else.
What is one of your favorite memories or events from HIM?
The Civic Prop V gave me memories unlike any other because of the interaction I had with other people. During this event, I had to go door-to-door and convince people to vote yes on Proposition V: San Francisco vs. Big Soda Tax. I heard many funny things during this event such as "Do you want to take a shower with me?". I got to talk to many types of people and receive first-hand experience with talking to random strangers. Another event that was memorable to me was the Lafayette Carnival because I got to socialize with younger children and one kid even mistook my sister and I as twins, even though we aren't. It was so funny because we don't even look alike.
How has your experience been working with HIM?
Working with Heart in Motion has been so fun. I've gotten to meet so many new people that i wouldn't have met without joining HIM. I never realized that Heart in Motion did so many things behind the scenes as I had never had any club experience beforehand. Since joining, I have gotten to try and do so many new things that I hadn't done before like editing docs and waking up at 5:00 a.m., giving me a glimpse at the life of being an adult. However at the same time, I have been criticized by others for joining Heart In Motion saying "That's so generic, they're an army". But I don't care, because this experience has been so beneficial.
What are your favorite hobbies?
It might sound strange, but one of my favorite hobbies is bossing people around. I know it sounds odd, but there's just a part of me that loves being in control and yelling. Other than that, my hobbies are baking, sleeping, cycling, anything art-related and most recently lion dancing and badminton. Of course, I can't forget volunteering!
What's your favorite part about volunteering with HIM?
What's my favorite part? Simple. Seeing people's happy faces when I volunteer and hanging out with my friends. As long as everyone is happy, I love to volunteer.
