How one teen makes a difference every Saturday

Hoffman Estates High School Senior Adil Kaleem is not a typical teenager. While most of us would break under the kind of pressure Kaleem has taken on and cave into the temptation of getting extra sleep on a Saturday morning, he chooses to share his time with those who need help with the simple things or simply need a smile.

Kaleem volunteers at St. Alexius Medical Center every Saturday, where he has been volunteering for almost a year now. When he volunteers, his tasks include everything from delivering vital medicine to patients and wheeling patients into the emergency room to bringing newspapers to them.

Though this may seem like a trivial task, his work consistently brings a smile to patients faces and makes their day better, even in the grimmest of circumstances and on the darkest of days.

"By far, the most rewarding aspect of volunteering is knowing that, while you're just a volunteer, you actually make a difference. To know that volunteers actually help the hospital operate smoothly is very rewarding," said Kaleem.

However, one shouldn't think of this as just something to pass the time during high school. Kaleem wishes to continue this idea of helping others as much as possible in his future career.

"By pursuing medicine, I wish to aid others in the difficult issues that they are facing, just like the doctors who have continuously helped me throughout my life," said Kaleem.

Kaleem has taken even more of an initiative in regards to his passion for helping others. He currently spends time as an understudy for various doctors, an activity that his allowing him to gain insight about the medical field and know what it takes to be as successful as possible during his medical career. He has had the opportunity to witness many surgeries with these doctors.

"This is what drives me even when my schedule gets busy, the thought that one day all of this hard work will pay off," he said. "I can hopefully bring immense change for the better to the medical field, as well the individual patients who are affected by it."

Kaleem's preparation for his future career continues at Hoffman Estates High School as well. He serves as vice president of the school's Medical Career Club and is enrolled in various courses at Hoffman Estates High School and Harper College, which are focused on the medical field.

"Adil is different from everyone else," said Medical Careers Club President Neha Patel, senior. "He has the will to achieve his goals and then goes after them. A lot of people say they want to be something big in the future, but they don't put in enough effort."

"Adil not only is dedicated in school, but he also is always ready to help out with the medical careers club," Patel continued. "Between consistently showing up, to helping drive our meetings forward, Adil is the heart and soul of the this club, and he clearly possesses all the characteristics that will make him an astounding physician in the future."

While Kaleem may not be gaining any money or praise as a result of giving up his time for others, he has clearly gained a wealth of knowledge in the field of medicine.

Editors Note: The article was written by Hoffman Estates High School student William Klaviter.

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