Speaker: David Joseph
David Joseph: My name is David Joseph. I'm a current 3rd year pharmacy student at Ohio State, and I was a graduate of Ohio State in 2022. A time I felt especially proud to be a Buckeye volunteer was in my time in undergraduate when I was involved in BuckeyeThon. Now being a team captain, I was actually able to meet some of the families and some of the children that were positively affected by the donations that came in. I went straight to Nationwide Children's Hospital for pediatric cancer treatment and research. At the time, I knew the impact that this event had, but when I met the families, that's when I really understood what it meant to be a Buckeye and what it meant to be a Buckeye volunteer. I originally thought that all that it was really about the donations and the money that came in that was able to help with the treatment and research that helped these people get over diseases that no one should have to deal with. But once I talked to the families, what really affected them most was seeing hundreds if not thousands of Ohio State students come together and wave to their kids and talk to them and really be there for them in the time that they needed it most. That's when it really clicked for me that this was all about. It wasn't about the money. It was rather just about the time that we gave them and the just the compassion that we were able to show these families when they needed it most. It was really meaningful to me because as someone who both of my parents went through cancer, it's something that I was already passionate about before. But seeing how just a little effort can go such a long way, not only at BuckeyeThon, but everywhere else where cancer is involved, that's what really motivated me to do that for not only for my career, but what I wanna do for the rest of my life.
If you could share a message with someone who is thinking about volunteering, what would you say to encourage them to pay forward?
David Joseph: If I could share a message with someone who's thinking about volunteering for anything, I would say you have no idea the impact that volunteering can have on yourself as a person. Volunteering at Ohio State has been the most influential thing on my growth, not only as a person, but as a student. As Buckeyes, we are so lucky to have so many opportunities to give back to what we love and to what we care about, and volunteering is the ultimate way to pay it forward and donating your time is the best way to give back and make this world a better place.
