Volunteer Spotlight: Steven Villanueva
Steven Villanueva is not your average 16 year old. Sure, he enjoys Pokemon, video games, the newest, hippest music, and the fact that he’ll be getting his driver’s permit soon. And yes, we’ve seen his hair color change from blue to purple to who knows what’s next. But what separates Steven from others his age, is that he’s been spending his Friday afternoons for the past three years volunteering his time to help Friends of Trees prepare for our Saturday planting events. What a guy!
Why do you like volunteering with Friends of Trees?
It’s a really nice place, very welcoming and a cool environment. The people are awesome. I like it because it’s a good workout and it’s exciting because there is a variety of tasks to do. Definitely better than volunteering at a library or something, which could be pretty dull.
What is your earliest tree memory?
There is a huge horse-chestnut street tree out in front of my house that I used to climb a lot. My parents disapproved because it is right next to the street. It’s one of those ones that has had a huge “V” cut into it due to the power lines. I also used to really enjoy going over the St Johns Bridge to a Christmas Tree farm to cut down our family’s tree together.
What do you like most about your neighborhood?
I live in Piedmont; it’s a pretty quiet neighborhood. People ignore stop signs all the time. When I was a kid I used to hang out at Farragut Park with my friends because there’s a playground and ball field. I really like King Burrito which is not too far from my house.
What’s your favorite tree in your yard?
Definitely the horse-chestnut tree out front. It drops all those “spiky balls.”
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not volunteering with FoT?
I enjoy video games like Zelda, Verdun, and Halo. (Steven assured me that video games have come a long way since Super Nintendo!) I like anime, Magic the Gathering, and good music like the punk band Fidlar and the ska band Street Light Manifesto. I’m also looking forward to going to college and studying graphic design or mechanical engineering. I love muscle cars, especially the Pontiac GTO Judge and Plymouth Barracuda. My dad got me into old cars when I was growing up, they’re so cool.
Speed Round
Timbers or Blazers? Blazers, no soccer.
Zelda or Mario? Zelda
Swords or Lazers? Swords
Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars
Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber? Neither
Bulbasaur or Squirtle? Squirtle
Favorite Donut? Chocolate Glazed with Custard Filling
Check out past Volunteer Spotlights:
Joel Finkelstein