1. How did you hear about SOAR365’s Next Generation Council (NGC)?      I heard about SOAR365 because my cousin would go to Camp Baker every summer.  Not only did he absolutely love Camp Baker, but his parents were appreciative of the services offered by SOAR365! After volunteering at Camp for a few years, the volunteer coordinator told me about NGC. I thought it would be a great way for me to get further involved with SOAR365 and decided to join!  

2. What made you decide to become an NGC member?  I wanted a way to merge my love of volunteering at SOAR365 with my professional development. After my first meeting with the NGC members, I knew this was a team I wanted to be a part of. Everyone was full of ambition and willing to not only share their experiences but learn from everyone around them. 

3. What’s your favorite NGC memory?    My favorite NGC memory has been volunteering at Summer Fest and getting to see the smiles on all of the kids’ faces as I showered them in bubbles! I love our bubble gun! 

4. Are you working on anything now?  Right now, I am a third-year medical student at VCU School of Medicine. I am currently going through all of my core rotations around the hospital! 

5. How has being involved with NGC helped you build your leadership skills?    Working with such a diverse group of leaders in NGC has been an invaluable experience. We have members from many different fields which is a rare and unique opportunity to learn from others.  Everyone is so open to sharing their triumphs and failures to help other members of the team. I never leave a meeting without learning a little nugget of knowledge about how to improve my own leadership skills. 

6. What would you say to someone who is considering joining NGC?  Come to a meeting or reach out to any of us. We all love to talk about NGC and stay involved at SOAR365. We are a group that actually does valuable activities that contribute to our local community! It is also a great opportunity to network and learn from other professionals in the area!

 7.  What can you share about yourself?      I am a medical student currently interested in Pediatrics. I love to be outside in my free time either going on walks, running, or paddle boarding. When I have time, I also enjoy traveling and hope to visit my family in Ecuador next year!