There are only 24 hours in a day, and Iris D’Costa strives to live each one to the fullest.
D’Costa, an 18-year-old senior at St. Francis DeSales High School, spreads her time across 10 different clubs and extracurricular activities, including everything from National Honor Society and the Asian and Pacific-Islander Student Association to Ski Club and the Evangelization Team.
Her inspiration to be an active member within her school and community comes from the famous Latin aphorism, “carpe diem.”
Photo courtesy of Iris D'costa
“There’s always been this desire in me to do good,” D’Costa says. “I personally know a lot of people that have a lot of potential and I want to live up to my potential. Making the most out of every day is really important to me. … I want to make the most out of every opportunity that I’ve been given.”
Volunteering at school and in her community is another way D’Costa seizes the day. At DeSales, she volunteers with the ski club by raising money to support adaptive ski lessons. Through adaptive ski lessons, skiers with disabilities can access the assistance they need to hit the slopes.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, D’Costa frequently baked goods for the Huckleberry House, which provides a safe place and resources for children and teens leaving abusive parents or an abusive household. Now, she regularly donates in-demand items, such as toiletries, to the organization.
Outside of school-related organizations, D’Costa volunteers time to the central Ohio chapter of Parents of Murdered Children. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be particularly difficult for parents in the group, and D’Costa makes and sends cards around those holidays to let the parents know she’s thinking about them.
D’Costa’s heart for volunteering in her community stems from her role model, Saint Mother Teresa. The saint’s famous quote, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love,” especially inspires D’Costa.
“I really like her mentality towards doing good deeds,” D’Costa says. “It’s too overwhelming to do everything at once. She really inspires me to make the most out of every small opportunity that I’m given, because even if it’s a small thing for me, it can make a big impact in somebody else’s life.”
Beyond volunteering, D’Costa serves as a leader within her school community through roles as a DeSales Student Ambassador, Kairos Retreat leader and others. She also founded the school’s Asian and Pacific-Islander Student Association. The new club showcases Asian Americans and recently raised money for an Asian American Paralympic athlete.
Though D’Costa’s time at DeSales is coming to an end with the 2021-22 school year, she’ll be taking her ambitious and caring spirit with her. Next year, she hopes to attend The Ohio State University and pursue a career as a surgeon.
Until then, D’Costa is soaking up the rest of her senior year and encourages other high schoolers to do the same.
“My advice is to take a lot of pictures and videos because I know I take a lot of stuff for granted right now that I’m not going to be able to have in a year or so,” she says. “It’s a time in your life where there are a lot of things that are going to be changing. High school is kind of a one-time thing.”
Juliana Colant is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
