Volunteer Spotlight

Written by: Isha Mehta

About a month ago, during The Umbrella’s Fall Open House, I had the pleasure of meeting with one of The Umbrella’s student volunteers - Varshini Sundaresan. Varshini is a junior at Littleton High School and currently the president of her class.

Varshini has been working as a volunteer at The Umbrella for the past year. During our conversation, Varshini highlighted her work with children at art birthday parties. She also helped resident Umbrella artists at art exhibition events. Varshini enjoys that the Umbrella’s art classes expose children to a variety of artistic mediums and that children learn the importance of creativity. Varshini explained that she loves to explore the different mediums of art presented by the resident artists and that exposure to those mediums influences her knowledge, creativity, and passion for art. Prior to volunteering at the Umbrella, Varshini primarily sketched but was encouraged to explore different mediums after starting at the Umbrella. After she graduates, Varshini wants to pursue engineering and design, with an emphasis on the integration of art and technology.

Varshini is heavily involved in her community. She plays on numerous sports teams, studies classical Indian dance, and is involved in class’ fundraising efforts. Throughout our discussion, Varshini’s love for public speaking and art was apparent. When we were discussing the importance of volunteering, Varshini emphasized that “it’s important to help others and give back to society”.

In addition to of all of this, Varshini recently got her license and enjoys spending time with her friends and is looking forward to incorporating art and design into her future education and career.