Name: Shubhankar “Shubi” Joshi

Role: Patient care assistant, Tower 10CD/12B, Neurosciences

Commitment to community from a young age: When Joshi was 12, his parents explained the importance of helping others, and he began volunteering at a local library. During college, he volunteered with pediatric patients at Boston Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and he was a volunteer in Central Transport Services at the Brigham.

Eye-opening experience: Today, through the volunteer agency Boston Cares, Joshi helps the American Red Cross food pantry in his Dorchester community by packing shopping bags with fresh produce, canned goods and other items for local families in need and carrying the bags to their transportation. “I didn’t realize how great the need was,” says Joshi, who recently received the President’s Award from Boston Cares for achieving 100 hours of service within a year. “Sometimes we serve up to 500 people during one shift. So many people struggle to put food on the table each week, and I am thankful I can do my small part to help.”

Advice for volunteering: â€œFind an organization with a schedule that works with yours. Boston Cares provides a lot of flexibility and many different opportunities, locations and times. You can find one that is convenient for your daily or weekly routine,” he says.

Words to live by: â€œFacta Non Verba, Deeds Not Words,” the motto of Phi Delta Epsilon, an international medical fraternity to which Joshi belongs. “It’s not about what you say you’re going to do, but what you contribute through your actions,” he says. “I approach clinical care as a PCA with the same virtues as my volunteer work: compassion, dedication and enthusiasm.”

What’s next: Joshi, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry on the premedical track at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, plans to apply to medical school in the spring. He’ll continue to volunteer at the food pantry while helping at other organizations, including Community Servings, which provides meals to critically and chronically ill individuals, and the Boston Celtics.

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