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Westminster Christian School senior Natalie Espinosa started a non-profit organization called Loving Our Elders her freshman year.
“Ever since I was a little girl, my old school would take me to St. Anne’s Nursing Center and Residence,” she says. “I loved interacting with the seniors.”
During special holidays, such as the holiday season, she’s asked people to donate blankets and Christmas goods. She’s also asked people to go with her to the nursing home to bake Christmas cookies.
“They watch us decorate the cookies,” she says. “We sing Christmas carols and entertain them. I love the people there. They are so nice.”
She goes to the nursing home to help them decorate for holidays.
“I gather a group and whoever is available can come,” she says. “I host my own Instagram.”
For Valentine’s Day they take flowers and make baskets with flowers and foods.
“For their birthdays, I make them little cards and I bring them,” she says. “For their birthdays, I usually make them because it’s one at a time.”
Volunteers make cards and bring flowers to the moms at St. Anne’s for Mother’s Day. They also make cards for Father’s Day.
She personally pays for the cards, paper and crafting materials.
“My grandma helps me with the flowers and my mom and my dad help me with the cards,” she says. “I go to the grocery store to buy the flowers.”
Espinosa not only goes for special occasions, she visits St. Anne’s when she has free time after school.
“I feel they are prone to loneliness, so I like to visit them and make them feel happy,” she says.
Her community service also includes children. She’s a member of Fight Like a Kid, an organization that helps children who are struggling with cancer.
“We collect and organize book bags with crayons, pencils, books,” she says. “We assemble welcome home baskets for patients able to come home for the holidays.”
At Westminster, she participates in a couple of clubs. One is Mind over Matter, a club dedicated to mental health awareness.
“We make posters for mental health awareness, and we post them around the school,” she says.
There is also an Instagram account that she uses to post inspirational messages.
“I am part of the Be the Light Club,” she says. “I’m a member who tries to do as much as she can for the club.”
The club is dedicated to doing good work in honor of a former Columbus student who died in a car accident.
“During COVID, I participated in a Zoom call for kids with autism because they were lonely,” she says. “We did karaoke with them for a couple of hours. It was fun.”
Recently, she played flag football in the Be the Light Bowl to raise money for families and kids in need. Her team reached the finals in the Senior Girls category but lost.
Espinosa has been playing soccer since she was four. Today, she plays on the Westminster varsity team. Until this year, she also played club soccer for Pinecrest Premier.
Espinosa’s a member of the National Honor Society, the National Science Honor Society, and the Foreign Language Honor Society. Through NHS, she tutors middle school students in English and Math.
She’s applied to the University of Florida, Clemson, the University of Miami, Southern Methodist University, University of Tampa, FIU, University of South Florida (USF) and Appalachian State University. She has already been accepted to the University of Alabama, Appalachian State University, University of Tampa, USF, and FIU.
Her goal is to become a nurse practitioner.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
Miami Community Newspaper is an online newspaper that provides up-to-date local news and information about the Miami community. This daily newspaper provides local news coverage and keeps its readers up to date on the latest developments in the area. Their website also includes a Miami community podcast, where listeners can get the latest news and updates on the Miami community. Miami Community Newspapers is the perfect source for all your local Miami news needs, whether it is from their daily newspaper, podcasts, or other media sources.
