Faces of Service: M’Lago

“Ko M’Lago Morris toku ingoa and I am a year 12 student at Whangarei Boys’ High School. Throughout high school I have been lucky enough to be part of the Student Volunteer Army, with my volunteering journey starting all the way back in year 9. 

I had recently just moved house and school. Naturally, my mum's first priority to help settle me in was to tackle the challenge of neonatal kittens… At first it was hard and I often found myself feeling ‘bored’, but after a while I grew to love spending time and caring for them, knowing that my actions were able to change the lives of these small bundles of furry joy. From there on, I continued this new family tradition and also ventured out into more community projects. This year, I focused on extending a pre-existing bus route to reach a rest home in a newly extended part of my local community. 

Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to have people help me through my challenges. This has led me to have a deep passion for my community, valuing Whakawhanaungatanga and Manaakitanga as well the importance of working with Maia and Aroha in my every endeavor. Volunteering and working passionately towards my goals has enabled me to take up many leadership opportunities, such as Deputy Head Boy, Whānau Captain, and so much more. My next goal is to study abroad, hopefully getting accepted into a university in the USA or England.  

To all those reading this now or in the future, get out there in your community! Try new things and broaden your horizons with some volunteering: help your neighbour by cutting their lawn, walk a friend's dog or volunteer at your school's tuck shop. If you don’t know where to start, download the SVA app and you will be presented with many opportunities to extend yourself. No matter who you are or where you come from, you will definitely learn a lot about yourself, and are guaranteed to have experiences like nothing before.”