Volunteer Highlight — Jen Starcevic
Volunteer: Jen Starcevic
Volunteering Since: 2019
Site: Thompson, ND
Meet Jen Starcevic!
Jen is our Site Director at our BIO Girls site in Thompson, ND. Jen is passionate and dedicated to her community. She surrounds herself with the youth knowing they are the vision of tomorrow. She is selfless and a servant-hearted leader. We are so grateful for all she does for the BIO Girls mission.
“Jen has been a great BIO Girls leader for a number of years. Jen has been wonderful and easy to work with. She has great questions and is on top of her to-do list with one big end-of-season item, in which she holds an amazing finale run for the girls! I am thankful for Jen’s strong commitment.”
— Angie Will, BIO Girls Programming Team
We asked Jen a few questions about her involvement with BIO Girls:
What do you do for work?
“I’m an elementary Spanish and keyboarding teacher (grades 3-5) in Grand Forks.”
Do you have a vivid memory or story that stands out to you from your time volunteering?
“The finish line. It’s always the finish line. Watching the girls that finish with ease turn around and cheer on the girls that maybe thought this was the last thing they would do. And the smiles on their faces when they know what they’ve accomplished.”
Name one-way BIO Girls has impacted you personally?
“I can find value in the lessons too as a 40-year-old woman. Every lesson has something I can relate to. It’s not just written for the girls.”
What is your favorite movie?
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
What drew you to become involved with BIO Girls?
“Watching Missy share all the good work about BIO Girls and having a daughter who was just at the age to be eligible to participate. I could see already at her young age of 8 that she felt pressure to look a certain way and already was expressing concerns about her body.”
What do you think girls would be missing without BIO Girls?
”A safe place to talk about their concerns, the opportunity to have a supportive adult (mentor) in their lives that they may not have connected with before, lessons about gratitude, kindness, positive body image and positive self-talk.”
What is one piece of advice you would tell your younger self?
“It wasn’t until college where I began to know who I was and trust who I was that I grew in my confidence. I would tell myself that earlier — trust who you are.”
Jen —
The BIO Girls team, the participants you have made an impact on, and the Thompson community sincerely thank you.
TAKE ACTION.
Ready to get involved?
Apply to Lead a Program or Apply to Volunteer as a Mentor
Need more information?
Register for our next Virtual Lunch and Learn to get a program overview and Q&A.