In the Archdiocese of Miami, high school students generally must complete 100 community service hours to graduate. Students are encouraged to participate in activities that allow them to help others while developing responsibility and leadership skills. However, students have different opinions about whether volunteering should be mandatory.
Senior Emma Gonzalez, who served as Key Club president last year, has participated in many community service projects, including a shoe drive that collected donations for people in need. Through her involvement, Emma has gained experience helping others and contributed to her community.
“I think community service should be required because it encourages students to help people who are less fortunate. Being involved in projects like the shoe drive showed me how something as simple as donating can make a difference in someone else’s life,” she said.
Although community service is a graduation requirement at many Catholic schools, some public schools encourage students to volunteer even when it is not mandatory. One reason is that community service can strengthen college applications by showing students’ involvement outside the classroom. Colleges may consider volunteer experiences when evaluating applicants, particularly when students demonstrate leadership, commitment, and a genuine interest in helping others.
”I think community service is important, but I don’t think students should only do it because they need hours to graduate. Volunteering should be something you actually want to do because you care about helping people,” said senior Emma Larralde.
School clubs like SALTT offer students opportunities to take part in service events and become more involved in their communities. Through these activities, students can experience working with others while contributing toward benefitting people in need.
Even at public schools where community service is not required for graduation, students are encouraged to volunteer because of the opportunities it can provide. Community service can strengthen college applications by showing admissions officers that a student is involved and interested outside of the classroom. However, colleges may value dedication and meaningful experiences more than the number of hours completed.
This makes people question whether community service needs to be mandatory when students can already benefit from volunteering on their own. While some students participate to improve their college applications, others volunteer because they genuinely enjoy helping people. Requiring community service may encourage more students to get involved, but it does not mean they will develop an interest in volunteering.
Whether community service should be required for graduation remains a topic of debate. Although mandatory hours can introduce students to new opportunities, volunteering can still be meaningful without it being a requirement. This makes students and teachers question whether helping others should be an obligation or a personal choice.
