Rising senior Jaskiran Bains is dedicated to Palmetto High School’s Capstone Club. In tenth grade, she was the club’s bulletin board designer. That allowed her to learn all about the program. Last year, she became even more involved, becoming a Capstone representative. She and another student spoke to freshmen students and parents about joining the Capstone program.
“Last year we did a 50th reunion tour,” she says. “I was one of the ones who took the elderly people on tour.”
Growing up, one of the schools she attended was Perrine Elementary. Now, as vice president of the Capstone Club, she wants to reinstate a tutoring program that was run by Capstone program students for Perrine students.
“We’ll help after school care students with their homework,” Bains says. “It will be fun to be working with the kids. I have a brother who is six years younger than me and I help him with his homework.”
Outside of school, Bains volunteers at South Miami Hospital, where her father has worked for 16 years. She collects the charts for patients that have checked out and gives the binders to the person who deals with disposing the information properly. She also runs errands.
“I make packets for the patients – the packets tell them wat they need to do before the surgery,” she says.
Working in the gift shop is her favorite task. She loves the social interaction and best of all, she’s able to deliver flowers to patients who have given birth.
Working in the hospital and at the Baptist Corporate offices made her realize she is more interested in a medical career than a corporate career. Her desire to become a doctor or dentist is bolstered by her parent’s desire for her to reach for the stars.
“They have very high standards for me,” she says. “I want to make my family proud, but I want to do something I like.”
In addition to her volunteer work running errands, she and a friend began a community service project called Colors for Comfort.
“We collected more than 100 coloring books, color pencils and crayons,” she says. “We donated to Baptist Hospital. We also brought some things to make slime.”
They made the slime with several kids and the reaction of the children gave her joy.
“It’s something so small. But makes you feel so good,” Bains says.
They plan to donate to the maternity ward at South Miami as well, for the siblings of newborns.
She and another friend collected canned goods and donated them and some cash to four fire stations for firefighters who have to word holidays.
At Palmetto, she’s been a member of Key Club and Interact. She’s also in the National Honor Society.
Bains plans to stay in state for college, but would prefer to go away to college, possibly to the University of Florida or the University of Central Florida.
She spent part of her summer visiting her extended family in England. Bains relishes her time in England as it reinforces her cultural ties and her ties to the Sikh religion.
“We believe in brotherhood and help one another,” she says.
Her grandparents immigrated to England from India for better opportunities and her parents immigrated to the U.S. for better opportunities as well.
Bains misses having an extended family – in Miami it’s only her immediate family, her mom, dad and brother, so she relishes her visits to England.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
