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Recently, Miami Palmetto High School rising senior Jared Olster won the Outstanding Junior Social Science Award, an academic based award. Olster took Advanced Placement U.S. History, a challenging class that delves deeply into the history of the United States and the issues that divided America and those that brought us together.
Olster also has a better understanding of the issues that grip this country today through his participation in the Temple Beth Am Social Justice Teen Fellowship. The teen fellowship sessions not only delve into the issues, but the teens take part in community service in underserved communities.
“There have been opportunities where we went to poorer communities and we did things like gardening in food deserts,” he says.
His freshman year, the teens went to Memphis to distribute food in neighborhoods with homeless populations.
“I do remember, we learned about civil rights a little bit and Martin Luther King,” he says. “I was mainly focused on poverty, but also the historical aspect, too.”
The group went to Washington, D.C. to speak with Congressional representatives on issues important to Florida.
“I focused on gun violence,” he says. “I didn’t have the chance to speak with (then Senator) Marco Rubio – I spoke with one of his people.”
The issue of gun violence is important to Olster. He knew kids who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when the murderous rampage took place on Valentine’s Day, 2018.
In February, Olster went on another mission trip to Guatemala where the teens helped build part of a school out of sustainable materials.
“We worked at that school basically the whole time, all three days,” he says. “It was a lot of physical work, and we helped them a lot with the school’s progress.”
The poverty in Guatemala was the worst he’s seen so far. Next year, the teens expect to travel to Colombia on another mission trip.
“It’s basically connected me to different cultures, and it’s exposed me to various issues and given me a sense of gratitude, and it’s given me empathy,” he says. “It made me want to act and do what I can to help them. Even the simplest action, even an hour or two of work can makes such a difference.”
At home, Olster’s extracurricular activities include being a member of the Palmetto Student Council where he is on the staff appreciation committee.
He’s also a Health Information Project peer counselor.
“I like HIP because it’s given me opportunities to expose freshman to issues that I’ve had to deal with,” he says. “I want them to know its normal and give them resources. HIP has helped me develop thinking skills and leadership skills.”
He’s happy he was able to connect with the younger students he taught.
“They participated,” he says. “I thought they were very receptive, and they understood what was going on. I helped inform them. I would call it a success.”
He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Finance Club which is in the process of becoming the National Business Honor Society. He’s also in Interact and PAWS.
Olster is on the board of Tutoring for Tomorrow as treasurer. The tutors donate half the fee back to the organization which is then donated to different charities every month.
And he’s a Youth Ambassador for Feeding South Florida.
“I’m one of 12 kids, the only one from Miami,” he says. “I do advocacy for Feeding South Florida on social media and have volunteered at the warehouse a couple of times.”
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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