LAKE MARY, Fla. — For many people, volunteering makes a difference and is fulfilling. That's the feeling of Everyday Hero Aarushi Joshi, who gives her time at the Northwest Branch Library in Lake Mary.

What You Need To Know

  • Aarushi Joshi has volunteered with the Lake Mary library for two years 

  • She has introduced a robotics program at the library to get students interested in STEM 

  • The teen says she loves library volunteering because she's an avid reader

A typical day can start with putting returned books on the shelves where they belong.

"Each one, they have the author name given, so we just do it in alphabetical order, and then it also depends on the name of the title," Joshi described.

That's a lot to keep track of, but you get used to it after a while.

"I volunteered the summer before my ninth grade, and sometimes throughout the year, and then a little bit over the summer, and then once again when the school year, I started volunteering again," she said.

In those two years, she's done much more. In fact, she's become a teacher. Joshi introduced a robot building class at the library for students to get them interested in science, technology, engineering and math.

"We built the robot, then they got to drive it, and then we coded it," Joshi said. "I taught them about gear ratios, torque, speed, and other topics that are often useful for robotics."

While Joshi was in a competition, she saw something.

"Especially when we got to world, there were not that many girls there, and it's just something I noticed," Joshi said. "So, I wanted to create an opportunity for kids who might not have an interest in robotics to just come check it out."

Born in India, Joshi moved to California, then to Central Florida. Her plans for the future aren't etched in a stone tablet, but she likes how things are going now.

If you, or know someone who wants to be a volunteer with Seminole County, click on this link for more information.