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olunteering is a rewarding \ /. experience for Amanda Seiftied and seeing how her efforts pay off is the best part. Seifried graduated from Sir John A. Macdonald secondary school in Waterloo this past spring and dedicated more than 300 hours of her time to helping others this year. Her most memorable experiâ€" ence was helping to organize a Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life event at her school this year, which included over 400 participants, Scholarship winner honoured for her volunteering This particular fundraiser was important to her because cancer has affected many people in her life. The highlight of the event was the opportunity to walk a cancerâ€"survivor victory lap with her grandfather during opening ceremonies. In Ontario high schools, stuâ€" dents are required to volunteer for at least 40 hours per year. Seifried‘s efforts easily exceed this number, but she admits volunâ€" teering can get hectic. "It‘s an amazing experience, but sometimes it feels like a lot of work and it can be so overâ€" whelming at times," she said. But the straightâ€"A student‘s efforts haven‘t gone unnoticed. She received the City of Waterâ€" By Laura MeinvycK Chronicle Staff _ Amanda Seifried was awarded the City of Waterloo‘s millennium scholâ€" arship last week for her outstanding community involvement. loo‘s Millennium Scholarship for Outstanding Community Involvement last week â€" a oneâ€" time bursary of $1,000 given to a graduating highâ€"school student for exceptional community servâ€" ice. Seifried began volunteering at Beaver Valley Ski Club near Collingwood, Ont. in Grade 9 because she wanted to see what it would be like to work as an instructor. By volunteering she landed a winter job at the ski club. And after obtaining certifications in swimming she got a summer job at a Beechwood community pool in Waterloo, working as a lifeâ€" guard and teaching swimming. Throughout high school her schedule was always packed with student council meetings, busiâ€" ness competitions and sports. She also participated in the Ontario Student Leadership Conference and the Hugh O‘Brian World Leadership Congress in Washington, LAURA MELNYCK PHOTO And school is always a priority for her. This fall she‘s starting her first year in social sciences at the University of Western Ontario. She‘s been granted early acceptâ€" ance into the Richard Ivey school of business, but she won‘t begin the program until her third year of studies. Seifried was interested in becoming an optometrist, but found the science curriculum wasn‘t for her. After a lot of thought, she realized business school would be perfect for her. "It was a process of eliminaâ€" tion," she said. "I liked participatâ€" ing in the DECA business chalâ€" lenges and I also like people and public speaking. "So 1 realized business is where my strengths are." Seifried expects to be very busy at UWO but hopes to add volunteering to her schedule. WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, August L, 2007 * 5 Mercedes Benz Dealer Authorized Specializing In BMW PORSCHE JA Meticulous Restoration Original Paint Finishes Unsurpassed Collision Repair 15 Centennial Dr. Kitchener FINE AUTOMOBILE BODY AND PAINT Mhith 519â€"578â€"2052 JAGUAR