Christina Vergara, a 17-year-old senior at Mason High School, is closing out her high school career with four years of volunteering with special needs students in the school and community.

Christina plans to major in special education at the University of Cincinnati. She’d like to teach at the high school level.

What she does: Her volunteer work began in ninth grade when her dance studio, Northern Cincinnati Youth Ballet in Mason, needed someone to teach ballet to special needs students. She liked working with them so well that she got involved with special education students at her school. She volunteers in a classroom almost daily.

“When I’m done with school, I go in there and work with the kids. I help them with their homework or just talk to them or just be with them. I go in, sometimes, during their lunch and just talk with them and eat lunch with them.”

On Feb.21, she accompanied special needs students to a Special Olympics basketball tournament held at Cincinnati Country Day School in Indian Hill. Christina also volunteers for Cohorts for Sports, an after-school program that meets once or twice a month to help kids train for such events.

The most satisfying thing about volunteering: “Just seeing how happy the kids are all the time. They get upset and stuff, but how forgiving they are, and they don’t hold grudges. So, just to see how happy they are is a big reward and to know that you’ve done something to make them happy.”

Qualifications needed to get involved: “I think being patient is probably the biggest one and just loving the kids,” Christina said.

How to get involved: Contact Mason High School intervention specialists Amy Lillich at lillicha@mason.k12.oh.us or Melissa Courtney at courtneym@mason.k12.oh.us