Aodhan Meyer, 17, is a senior at South Kingstown High School and captain of the varsity cross country team. He is also on the swim and track teams. In sixth grade he and his twin brother lived in Pretoria, South Africa, for a semester, attending an international school and going on safaris. He has lived in five states, from the East Coast to the middle of the country to Hawaii.
PBN: What does it mean to you to be named a 2017 Bank of America Student Leader?
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MEYER: Being a Bank of America Student Leader has been incredible. When I first learned I had received this internship, I couldn’t stop smiling – even when running the 3,000-meter race at a track meet, I had a grin on my face the entire time.
As a student leader, I have had the opportunity to learn about some of the issues faced by the community in which I intern and now have a better understanding of different perspectives – something I do not believe I would have gained had I not been a Bank of America Student Leader.
More importantly, being a student leader granted me the opportunity to learn how to address these issues now and in the future. Overall, being a student leader brings me great pride knowing all of the interns, across the nation, are doing our part to help better the communities we work and live in.
PBN: You were selected from a competitive pool of applicants based on your academic standing and community involvement – what is it you enjoy studying?
MEYER: While I enjoy most of my classes, I am especially passionate about history and social studies. I enjoy government and debate, which fuels my desire to learn about the past so that I can better understand the world we live in today. I think it is very important to have a strong understanding of how our government works and why. It is also critical to be aware of what is happening in the world and to try to understand why it is taking place.
This leads back to history; if one does not understand the people, the history, the culture, then there can be no bridging of differences and no real communication. As the world continues to grow smaller, with all the technology in use today, it is even more important that we understand each other, which starts in social-studies classes.
PBN: At which Boys & Girls Club do you volunteer and what activities do you lead there?
MEYER: I was at the Newport Boys and Girls Club and the activities I led differed day to day. One of the activities I helped with was Service Learning – a program allowing students to find a solution to better a problem in their community. The issue my group noticed was bullying, so I led classes and taught about the negative effects of bullying, such as potential depression. The students decided to make kindness rocks to spread throughout the community.
PBN: How else do you involve yourself in the community?
MEYER: I play an active role in my community in several ways. I volunteer at my church as an altar boy and occasionally play my instrument before Mass. I volunteer at the Kettle Pond Wildlife Refuge, where I help maintain trails, the visitor center and surrounding gardens. I also lead craft day and children’s nature classes. Another place where I volunteer is the Matunuck Fire Department, training twice a week for a few hours each day and responding to calls.
PBN: Why is it important for students like yourself, and the general public, to volunteer in the community?
MEYER: Individuals make the community, which is why it is imperative for individuals to know their community and help to make their community better. If each community relied on only a handful of people to do the work, the community would, potentially, not be as great a place to live. When people come together in their community to help, the best of all of us shines through.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
