Since starting to volunteer in K-12 STEM outreach several years ago, I wondered about the tradeoff between studying and or charitable/volunteer opportunities in the professional development of volunteers like myself. After completing a rigorous career in heterogeneous catalysis culminating in my Ph.D., I decided to begin investigating topics related to college student success including participation in extracurricular activities. Now during my Postdoc at the University of Washington with Prof. Julie Rorrer in the Department of Chemical Engineering, I spend much of my working time learning and applying survey design and statistical methods towards understanding the role of volunteering on college students. I hope to couple this research together with effective and inclusive teaching practices to enrich the experience of college students that come from both typical and atypical backgrounds.