Mathura Ravishankar, Burlington High School

Its success "was quite surprising to me in fact, because I didn't think this was something that was going to catch on," said Ravishankar's adviser, Peter Halvorson. "I was definitely surprised, in a good way."

Ravishankar, who graduates today, brought the idea for the 30 Hour Famine from her Toronto high school, which had a similar fund-raiser her freshman and sophomore years. She moved to Burlington as a junior, and introduced the idea to her Model United Nations group this year.

"Some of the people were really enthusiastic about it; they were really excited," she said.

Ravishankar contacted World Vision, the organization behind the 30 Hour Famine, and coordinated the Burlington event almost single-handedly. Halvorson said the level Ravishankar was willing to go was "extraordinary."

"She put it all together. It was tremendously successful," said Halvorson. "It's really due to her efforts. She had the vision and she had the ability to follow it through until its conclusion."

After two years in the United States, Ravishankar, 17, and her family are re turning to Toronto, and she will be attending McGill University in Montreal in the fall. She credits her time in Toronto as the birthplace of her drive to volunteer.

She said her friends at home were all community service-oriented, and she and one friend volunteered to help those with autism. "We've always talked about these things . . . especially because she and a couple of my other friends were driven to volunteering in general," Ravishankar said. "Growing up with that sort of driven group of friends has definitely helped."

Ravishankar started volunteering with the autistic students at her middle school when her teacher offered her the opportunity. She would miss class once a week to help with athletic events. While she was still in high school in Toronto, she would continue to help out at the middle school, and when she came to the United States, she found an autism organization and volunteered her help.

For the past two years, Ravishankar has volunteered once a week as a coach for the Special Olympics, spending one hour with younger autistic children and a second with adults.

This year the group traveled to Worcester for a tournament. Ravishankar traveled with the adults as their basketball coach, and her group won four out of five of their games.

"That feeling of seeing them succeed is just a phenomenal feeling," she said.

Though she is uncertain of her career plans, Ravishankar said she is considering pursuing the study of autism from a scientific and psychological standpoint.

Ravishankar said her parents did not always understand her desire to be involved in community service, asking her if she would rather hang out with her friends or do other things instead of volunteering her time to others.

"Even though some days would be tough [with other requirements], it's definitely something I would do again," she said.