Huron graduates defined by valiant volunteer acts

HURON — Two Huron High School graduates constantly go above and beyond when it comes to helping others and giving back to the community. After Friday's commencement, the Register spoke with Blair Porter and Olivia Arambula — two seniors representing the class of 2021 — about their generosity, optimistic outlooks on life and how they'll continue serving humankind into adulthood. Blair Porter For Blair Porter, being able to help those in need is more than a passion or hobby — it's her calling in life. From a very young age, Porter has known the importance of assisting others. She credits this belief to her parents — Erin and Randy — church leaders and her faith. Porter has been doing missionary work since she was young through her church, Columbus Avenue United Methodist Church in Sandusky, and her youth group, Firelands District Youth. Over many years, she's raised money for her church so it can buy student uniforms, books and cover teacher salaries. "I feel called to become a missionary who serves others, humbles myself and lives in the margins so I can better serve others," Porter said. She's served on eight missions, logging more than 1,000 volunteer community service hours. Porter has completed mission work locally, nationwide and globally, which include stops in Mexico and Haiti. By far, the place leaving the greatest impact on Porter has been the Latannerie School in Haiti. While there, Porter built relationships and supported students, specifically scholarship students. A scholarship student is a student that has done well in school, but needs significant financial aid to continue going to school. Porter's church works to assist in paying for necessities for these kids to attend school. Some of the scholarship students helped even go on to assist other students and help the community further. "I love helping other people, and when I see people hurting in the community, I can't just sit back and do nothing," Porter said. "I feel convicted to help out and use my skills to help others." Porter also teaches other interested kids about mission work through her church's program, "Kids on a Mission." The program teaches them how to use their skills in missionary work. This summer, she plans on interning at Nehemiah Mission in Cleveland to repair houses and work with refugee children. Next year, she hopes to return to Haiti for a portion of the year and continue her work with Latannerie. In the near future, she hopes to attend Malone University as an international studies major while she continues her work as a missionary. Olivia Arambula All that Olivia Arambula has wanted to do in life is help others. And she can continue doing so, in grander fashion, through a prestigious postsecondary program. In March, Arambula was selected to join the Cutler Scholar program at Ohio University. Cutler Scholars aim to create a community for its students while also encouraging them to be better members of their own communities. In addition to a hefty scholarship, being a Cutler Scholar provides unique opportunities to talk about important societal issues from a variety of perspectives, and to partake in volunteer work. The program includes weekly meetings to discuss current events, a new leadership opportunity offered each year and plenty of volunteer opportunities. For Arambula, the program provides her an opportunity to learn more about herself while breaking some personal mental barriers. Arambula, who was born and raised in Sandusky, looking forward to the challenge. "It is a place where I can learn more about people from other backgrounds," she said. It "encourages community involvement and nourishes education." She credits her time spent working with HOLA Ohio as one of the key motivators toward her passion and drive for helping others. HOLA Ohio is a grassroots nonprofit that works to empower Latino and Hispanic communities across Ohio. In the future, Arambula primarily wants to work with the Hispanic and Latino communities. Arambula, also, credits her parents, Andrea and Marcial, for her drive towards making the world better. Her father, specifically, has been a driver. Arambula will be spending the summer in Mexico — where she will be visiting the area, where her father is from — for the first time. While at Ohio, in the fall, she'll study history on a pre-law track. She hopes to become an immigration or civil rights attorney. "When I was little, I always dreamed about being president," Arambula said. "Now, I want to be an activist for people who don't have a voice."