Lauren Kreiser wrote an article for this spring’s “Then/Now” issue about the things she wished she had known as a freshman. Now that she is graduating, she imparts her wisdom on the rest of us.

You can read more of her advice here.

Lesson 6:
People say that volunteering is selfless act.
I think they are wrong.
There is nothing more rewarding then helping other people.
A lot of the moments I will cherish occurred while I was volunteering.
I’ll never forget the people of Ocean City, Mississippi, a small town that was obliterated by Hurricane Katrina. After a hard day of building homes, our volunteer group went to a local bar. We began talking to the locals and told them why we were in Mississippi. They thanked each one of us for our service to their community and bought us beers. We talked about the hurricane and how it changed their lives. They told us how we were making their home a better place. It was probably one of the most heart warming moments of my life.
When you give up your time to help someone else, your also helping yourself. You are making yourself a better person. And if you believe “what goes around, comes around,” then you are only enriching your Karma.

Lesson 25:
Buying your friend a drink at the bar will make your drink taste better.

More drinks, more happy

Lesson 75:
One of my favorite things to do is to commit random acts of kindness. When you are having a bad day, it somehow gets better when you do something nice for someone else.
If the meter next to yours is about to expire, throw a quarter in there. Not only did you save that kid $65, you have defeated parking services.
If the person in line behind you looks like they are going to die if they don’t checkout in the next 10 seconds, let them go in front of you.
You’d be surprised how good altruism feels.

To be continued…