Angel Bohannon is one of the most active students on campus- her interest lies in community service and giving back, and she has made huge strides as a second-year in the College. As the newly elected Vice President of Service for Alpha Phi Omega (APO), she plans to make big changes and inspire others with the action she takes. She ran for the position because “APO coordinates the most service opportunities on campus, and I want to learn how to translate my passion into action, and this will give me the ability to that. I feel ready to take charge. “
Angel got involved with community service through addressing the problem of homelessness. She explains that “in the south side, there are a lot of people who struggle and need help, and it’s weird because these people, despite their suffering, thank you for what you do. This mutual respect creates a bond. People can have respect and dignity in these situations. That’s why I got into community service. I think that because I started with homelessness, I’m interested in it, but I’m looking to find people who have so much kindness and a meaningful connection despite their situation. I want to help people in any way I can.”
Her favorite way to help her community is through talking to people. She explains that she “meets really interesting people. They open up and I think sometimes it’s inspiring to see these things that people have gone through. Maybe through listening and giving advice, I can give back. Sometimes it’s frustrating to not make significant impacts, but it does get through. It’s hard to fix people’s problems, but sometimes they just want someone to listen” She also says that her favorite part of doing community service is encouraging others to get involved too. “I’m not trying to inspire, I’m just trying to share my perspective. I’m not trying to do much, but this is how I can make an impact.”
Recently, APO put on their first community service auction. Angel took charge of this project and made it a highly successful night, with performances from Phinix and with over thirty RSOs and individuals auctioning off services. When asked how she managed to put together such a huge event, she said that “It was a lot of fun- I’ve never planned a big event before and I was nervous at first, but I think it was great because I got to know APO better. Honestly, I emailed a lot of people and it was keeping track of everything. I was worried that it wouldn’t go well, but it did, and it was great. A lot of it was proving to myself that I could do it. A lot of people were willing to help me if I asked. “ In addition to APO, Angel is the co-president and co-founder of the Homeless Food Run, which takes sandwiches to the needy downtown every Tuesday. She is also working on starting an ACT prep tutoring center in Schaumberg next quarter.
If she could do anything with no restrictions, she says that she would like to open up a small orphanage because she would “get to work with people I really care about. I want to do something simple and small, but I want it to make a big impact to people who are there.” Keep an eye out for Angel and the many events and fundraisers she puts on; she’ll be doing huge things soon.