Senior Elena Bates lives a life of service, inside and outside of school. In addition to her personal service, she is the co-leader of our High School Outreach Club, responsible for hosting our bi-annual Vitalant blood drives, our pad and tampon drives for the Gathering Place, and SHOUT Week (Students Helping Out), where we raise thousands of dollars for the Loretto Hunger Fund every year. Elena doesn’t spearhead these efforts to pad her resumé; she just wants to do what she can to make others’ lives better. 

“Outreach Club has meant the world to me. We have helped put on some of the biggest drives, including our blood drive and our pad and tampon drive, which are unique to SMA  and provide service to the community, different from many other schools. Being a leader is one of the accomplishments I am most proud of, because you can see the work that we do and the impact it has. I will be so sad to leave it, but know that it is in good hands with the SMA community because the SMirls care for others, and that truly is at the core of the Outreach Club: caring for others.” 

Elena cares deeply for others, on large and small scales. She first got involved in service during Grade 6. When COVID hit, she and her family began volunteering at Metro Caring. Her time there, along with her service at the Children’s Hospital, and on service trips to both Costa Rica and Hawaii, has helped her learn more about others and herself. Ultimately, they’ve all contributed to her realizing she wants to become a nurse. 

When asked what service means to her, Elena shared,“Service allows me to give back and connect with my community. We often hide ourselves in our bubbles, and when we do service, we are able to break out of that bubble and connect with people different from who we usually talk to. It has brought me lots of new perspectives and ways to look at life, helping me in both the classroom and with connecting with new people.”  

This past summer, Elena volunteered in Hawaii with Wilderness Adventures. They worked with local indigenous people to help them achieve their goals for their community. It is reassuring to know they prioritized the community’s needs and voices rather than arriving with their own agendas, as some service trips can unfortunately do. “The biggest thing that I learned about working with Wilderness Adventures was to be open and put yourselves in positions where you can learn about the indigenous people's traditional stories and place more value in the land/materials and how we use them. I also have learned that there is a lot more that people have in common than people have to divide us, so being open to others and welcoming is the biggest gift you can give.” 

Imagine the difference if everyone took Elena’s advice. If we were all open to learning about others’ traditions and stories, especially those of indigenous communities, and if we put more value on our land and resources, paying attention to our excessive use. Small adjustments would lead to great progress. 

Many of us choose to work with adolescents, teens, and young adults because they give us hope. Their unjaded eyes see the possibilities of unity, community, and compassion, and call others to live accordingly. Watching Elena Bates serve, lead, and grow over the past four years has reinforced my hope. She has walked the walk, followed her words with actions, and has led our community through collection drives and fundraisers. More notably, Elena has done so with humility, joy, and an inner light that betters everyone she encounters. Nursing is one of the most commendable, selfless professions, and it’s only fitting that Elena is pursuing that path. Her future patients will benefit from her presence, just as we’ve been so lucky to do. May we find our commonalities and live with compassion, caring for others, as Elena does every day.