Tell us a little bit about yourself and your plans for college.

My name is Luca Sambat and I am headed to the University of Virginia in late August 2024 to begin my first year. Throughout high school, I have consistently worked and volunteered while making school my priority. I've been on the varsity tennis team and have been an active member of several clubs as well (chess club, math team, Best Buddies). I currently have a 4.7 GPA and hope to graduate with at least this grade point average without slipping!
I have many interests, such as music, arts, and tennis, but I believe computer science or something in the technology realm will be what I want to pursue as a career. I'd like to share an essay with you that I wrote about my volunteer efforts through high school:
Working with the Voices for Children organization has enlightened me to the issues facing youth in
foster care in my home county. I have been a part of organizing their holiday gift drive
since childhood (first with my parents, then on my own once old enough to
coordinate). While the children's names are always protected, their wishes are open. Some ask for
dolls, toys, and games, items many typical kids have on their lists. Some simply for a warm coat.
One teenaged boy asked for socks and deodorant, nothing else, for his holiday gift. Reading the
wish lists shed light on the true hardships that these individuals endure. These kids show an
incredible ability to rebound when moving in and out of their biological parents' homes
(sometimes multiple times), changing foster home placements, and transferring schools more
frequently than desired. They can experience food insecurity as well as emotional insecurity.
Working with this population gives me pause when coming from a background where I
consistently have something to eat, I know that the heat will be turned on in winter, and I have the
proper clothes to brave the elements. I am impressed with the resiliency shown by these individuals, and hope to continue to serve disadvantaged populations in the future.

Dru from Maryland
High School Senior
River Hill High School