Creating Opportunity Through Education

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Selina Curnutt. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

When 16-year-old high school senior Selina Curnutt realized her good fortune in life, she rededicated herself to helping those who couldn’t claim the same. Living with supportive parents, two brothers now in college and a labradoodle named Griffin, she has always been surrounded by love. Whether she’s on the court or field playing one of her three sports or in the classroom, they champion her success. As a result, Selina has become a champion for others, particularly in education.  

In the summer of 2022, the year Selina graduated from middle school, she and her brother started MacroMinds’ Junior Board to help raise funds for organizations that support educational equity. Neither was old enough to participate on the official board. Today, they continue to be the youngest people at events and the only two on the junior board. As president, Selina spends around 30 hours each month in her role.  

Outside of MacroMinds, Selina is helping launch a peer tutoring program for math at her all-girls high school. She also volunteers with two of the school’s summer programs–Camp Greenwich Academy, an immersive craft and sports camp, and Greenwich Academy Talent Enrichment Camp, or GATE, an educational program for girls from underprivileged backgrounds with high academic promise.

What inspires you to volunteer? 

Some of it is related to my community. I also took an online class on positive psychology with units about the psychology of happiness. Through that, I realized how lucky I am and decided from then on that I would dedicate a lot of time to helping others who are not as fortunate. That was something of a mental change for me.  

Additionally, one of my faculty advisors from GATE told me a story that made me cry. During the first years of GATE, they asked all the families to pack a lunch for their girls, and almost half of them showed up without one, because they didn’t have anything at home. That’s when we, as a school, decided to supply lunch.  

There’s so much need for such bright, incredible people, some of whom live five minutes from me. It’s not a foreign thing; it’s right down the road. That anecdote has stayed with me and made me want to champion volunteering.  

Tell us about your volunteer role with MacroMinds. 

I found out about MacroMinds through my parents’ colleague. As I’ve gotten older, my involvement has become more significant. We raise money for three to four education-focused charities each year through symposiums. We have speakers and celebrate these organizations. I help plan and fine-tune those. We raise about $400,000 a year that is split between organizations. 

I run social media and do research on potential awardees. I reach out and start a relationship. There’s a lot of correspondence leading up to the symposium, where we’ll meet in person. 

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

It’s been so rewarding to be able to interface with the point people for these charities. It’s not extraordinary in how we come up with these funds, but what is extraordinary is seeing how beneficiaries have been able to transform their programs with them.  

One example is the Mount Pleasant Blythdale School. It’s the only school in the country that is a hospital built into a school for children whose bodies are healing and who can’t attend a normal school. We had a ceremony to dedicate the space that they used the funds to create. It’s a hospital room next to the library so that if a student has a medical emergency, no time wasted in accessing care.  

During the ceremony, one of the children needed the room. She’s ok, but it was frightening. She was able to get immediate care because of that space. That made me feel special, because I saw what was possible because of our efforts. I love seeing the tangible impact that we’ve had on so many organizations and, consequently, so many lives. 

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

When you’re the youngest person at an event, you learn to network and make small talk with everyone. Beyond that, it’s opened my eyes to the need for quality education everywhere. I‘ve also learned to manage social media and organizational stuff. 

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

It strengthens the quality of your community and adds richness to your life. It makes you feel more connected. Every time I do something to help my community, I feel better throughout the day. Everyone should know the joy they could be feeling. My grandmother is an animal lover, and she fosters dogs. If you know your natural hobbies or passions, seek them out, there will be plenty of opportunities. 

Any suggestions for how readers might address this issue in their own communities? 

A month and a half ago, I took many trips to Target to get crayons, colored pencils and other things to fill backpacks for kids in my community. School supplies are expensive.  

Even if you do one, which is like $30—or whatever you can afford—it’s a relatively low cost with a big impact. If I can help just one child have a more seamless transition back to school without having to worry about supplies, that’s a win. 

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

I started doing community service in seventh grade on a trip to Costa Rica for that purpose, but  I wish I’d started earlier. I wish I’d been five years old at a beach cleanup. People should get involved as early as they can and instill a life of service in someone, because it changes the way you feel about helping others. 

I also hope people take a moment to think about their own community—I can’t imagine there’s a single neighborhood that doesn’t have need—and see if there’s one thing they could do to help a child, an animal or a nonprofit. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Selina? Find local volunteer opportunities.