Standing in the center of the Bird's Nest, 22-year-old Li Ju looked toward the sky, lit up by fireworks to mark the closing of the Beijing Olympics.

As a representative of the venue volunteers, Li and 11 others received thunderous applause for their dedication and service during the Games.

Li's eyes filled with tears, as she thought of her mother who was killed in the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake. She felt like her mom were watching down from heaven and feeling proud of her.

Li Ju comes from Beichuan county of Sichuan province, the majority of residents belonging to the ethnic Qiang people. It is one of the worst quake-hit areas.

The Qiang girl lost 18 family members, including her mother, grandfather and uncle, all of whom remain buried under the rubble.

"Several days before the quake struck, I talked to my mother over the phone. I told her I was going to be a volunteer for the Beijing Olympics, I could sense how happy she was," Li says.

"The quake took away everything, it didn't even leave me a single photo of my mother."

Despite her sorrow, however, Li carried on with preparations to be an Olympic volunteer.

During the Games, Li worked at the Olympic Family Restaurant, where she helped run an information service for VIP guests.

From finding an anxious tourist's lost cell phone to providing information to the Spanish Queen Sofia, Li's responsible service ensured that every guest had a smooth and happy stay during the Games.

This was not Li's first time as a volunteer. The young woman, in her final year at Beijing Normal University, has always helped those in need.

For the past three years, she has been teaching children of migrant workers, helping disabled kids in a special kindergarten and visiting a rest home to perform plays for the aged.

She also helped to recruit college students in Beijing as volunteers for the Paralympics.

"Giving makes me feel much better than receiving," she says.

Li is also a dedicated student. Majoring in education, the focus of her academic research is the educational environment in rural areas. Her proposal has won her financial support from her university.

"I want to work in a school after graduation, as I quite enjoy the atmosphere of a school," she says.

In the earthquake, the Beichuan Middle School, where Li spent three-year studying, toppled down and buried hundreds of lives. Among the victims were Li's teachers and friends.

On June 6, when Li went back to Beichuan, she saw her father living in a relief tent.

"My father encouraged me to be tough, to go on helping people," she says. "He told me not to worry about him and concentrate on serving in the Olympics.

"The quake broke my memories, but it won't destroy the future. I want to keep helping others and do what the quake relief volunteers did for my hometown."

(China Daily 09/08/2008 page8)