PBO’s Graduating Seniors Pay Farewell to High School, but Not Service

By: Gabriela Quintero

As senior year comes to an end, the high school careers of Palm Beach Outreach’s founding members also begin to fade out.

Zachary Lopez, Sofia Blanco, Victor Vasquez, and Alan Trujillo are all graduating from FAU High School, where they all had the opportunity to take college courses throughout their entire high school careers. 

Lopez, Palm Beach Outreach’s website manager, shares that his love for community service stemmed from his school’s offerings. 

“I originally started volunteering in my school's STEM lab, where I helped do various tasks such as cleaning the space up after elementary and middle schoolers,” he said. “Since then, I now help run PBO’s website and enjoy volunteering as it’s fun with friends and helps keep our area a better place.”

Unlike Lopez, Blanco, founder and executive director of Palm Beach Outreach, began volunteering much earlier. She shares her experiences as a volunteer in elementary and middle school. 

“I first began small volunteer projects in elementary school, but I believe volunteering became a main passion of mine after experiencing all the support in my community,” she said.

High School, however, isn’t where these students' community service stops. All graduating seniors plan to continue to work for Palm Beach Outreach in the fall of their freshman year of college. 

Camilo Herrera, Palm Beach Outreach’s logistics director, plans to attend Florida State University in the fall. He shares how he plans to continue PBO’s outreach even from afar. 

“I hope to help using contacts I gain at college to help PBO and combine them together, helping PBO grow, even from afar,” Herrera said.

Blanco, who plans to attend Columbia University in the fall, hopes to expand her outreach and community involvement outside of PBO. 

“Aside from continuing my involvement with PBO, during college, I hope to start new service projects focused on accessibility to medical solutions and peace efforts in my birth country, Colombia,” she said. 

Lopez explains how, similarly, he plans on using his experiences at PBO to further benefit his community in other ways. 

“I’d definitely love to join an organization in Gainesville centered around community service, and I might just join a soup kitchen or help clean up local parks with others,” Lopez said. 

Vasquez, Palm Beach Outreach’s marketing director, is continuing his college career at Florida Atlantic University and plans on finishing his bachelor’s degree soon after graduating. Vasquez shares that although community service did not impact his career trajectory, it has been incredibly important to him.

“Volunteering with PBO definitely helped me build some of the skills I need for the future I am aiming for,” Vasquez said. 

Trujillo, Palm Beach Outreach’s website manager, shares that his biggest piece of advice for incoming high schoolers interested in joining community service projects is to try everything.

“My advice is to explore different things and see if you enjoy it. Not everyone enjoys the same things, so if you go into one area and you don't enjoy it, don't be afraid to do something else instead. There are many ways to help out the community,” Trujillo said.