It only takes a smile: I just broke down--I was afraid I couldn't handle it.

Katie, 19, always felt there had to be something more to life than just partying, buying clothes and driving a cool car. She finally discovered what she was missing out on when she traveled halfway around the world to help underprivileged kids.

I am really lucky. I grew up with my parents and two brothers in a really nice house in Malibu, Calif. It was an amazing place to have a childhood. Sure, I had the same problems other kids have (like, kids at school being mean or competitive), but my life has always been pretty easy.

My friends and I all have similar interests--shopping, boys, hanging out, vacationing in Hawaii, snowboarding. I guess my only worry was learning to fit in and do the right thing. You know, I don't think I appreciated how great I had it growing up. It was all I ever knew.

Something to smile about

When I was 14, I discovered a club at school called Operation Smile, an organization that sponsors free surgery for facially deformed kids in developing countries. The goal is to train enough doctors in those countries to become self-sufficient. Deep inside, I knew there was something more I could do than just be another spoiled teenager but, at the time, my motivation to join Operation Smile was just to satisfy my school's community service requirement.

For reasons I can't explain, I never felt like I quite fit in at school. It was like I was on the outside looking in, no matter how close I was to my friends. But once I was attending weekly Operation Smile meetings, I felt I was a part of something. Our club did fund-raisers, like car washes, and collected donations of cash, toys and toothbrushes for the underprivileged kids overseas. It felt so good to help out--and it was so much fun.

After working with Operation Smile for a while, I learned different countries have different overriding deformities. In Latin America, the children are mostly burn victims because their parents cook over open fire. In the Philippines, babies often are born with cleft palates in which there is essentially no separation between the nose and mouth. This is caused by malnutrition and drinking dirty water. The more I learned about what affects kids around the world, the more determined I was to go abroad with Operation Smile instead of just collecting donations in Malibu.

To get picked to go, I had to prove how dedicated I was to the organization. So at 15, I became president of my club. Only about 20 U.S. kids are chosen each year to go abroad, so when I was picked, I was so happy--even though I didn't realize what I was getting myself into.

'But I can handle this'

Before my trip, I attended a weekend "mission training" in Virginia. That's when I was told I'd be going to the Philippines. Although I was excited, one night during training, I broke down in tears. I didn't know if I was prepared to see all these unfortunate kids. I was so afraid I'd fall apart.

After that, I had four days to decide whether I wanted to accept my mission. I was freaking out. What made it even harder was that I'd learned I was the only kid from the United States going to the Philippines. Sadly, there had been some kidnappings of Americans there, so none of the other parents would let their kids go. My parents said, "Katie, it's totally up to you. If you want to go, go. If you don't, don't." After a lot of soul-searching, I decided I'd never have this opportunity again. I would do it and, if things got really bad, I'd go home.

Trip of a lifetime

On the plane, I had five items of clothing for myself and a huge duffel full of toys and toothbrushes for the kids. After a long flight to the Philippines, I was put up in a pension, which is like a motel, in Cebu with an incredible roommate who was a volunteer nurse.

I didn't go through culture shock in the Philippines because almost all the people I worked with were Americans. They were all nice and nonjudgmental--there was no gossip. I never had to worry that they might be thinking, "Oh, you're so not cool for wearing that!" We were there to help the children.

I was put to work three days after my arrival. My first day at the hospital, I was so nervous about meeting the kids. I'd never seen anything like their deformities, in a roomful of 50 kids, who are running around and happy, it seemed normal. Their families were there, sleeping on cots--many had traveled by bus for days to get their child an operation.

The team I worked with was amazing--about 25 doctors, pediatricians, nurses, intensive care specialists, anesthesiologists, orthodontists and dentists. It was weird because everybody was in their 40s, yet I felt so connected. That whole high-school feeling of not fitting in vanished. And I wasn't homesick at all. I could have stayed there for eight years, but all I had was eight days.

The one thing I missed about home was the food. We had to eat things like huge pigs with their heads still on and other really gross stuff. I felt really bad about not seeming excited about the food because, in the Philippines, these dishes are considered delicacies. The doctors would sometimes sneak us McDonald's burgers from a nearby town, a total life-saver.

Our routine was to wake at 5 a.m. and work until at least midnight. My job was to play with the kids before their surgeries to help them feel more at ease. I also went to nearby schools to hand out toothbrushes, teach students how to brush their teeth and talk about nutrition since they were so malnourished.

Honestly, every experience I had was amazing. I especially remember one day when I was sitting with a little girl, around age 2, who was about to have surgery. She was crying on my lap in the operating room, so I tried to calm her as I gently held the gas mask to her face. It was so satisfying to be part of something that would change her life forever.

When their surgeries were over, the kids were always pretty happy, but their parents were blown away. Sometimes they couldn't even recognize their kids because their appearances had improved so much. They'd cry and hug us and give us presents--they were so grateful.

With Operation Smile, I didn't have to try to be anyone but myself, which was such a great feeling. My time there made me realize there's so much more to life than my tiny problems. It was overwhelming to help change a child's life and work with such good people. During my mission, we helped 275 kids. By the time it was over, I was totally exhausted--but really, really happy.

Smile for the camera

When I got home, I slept three days straight. I felt alone because I didn't think anyone could really understand what I had experienced. Even some of my friends' parents reacted like, "I would never let my daughter do something like that!" They couldn't comprehend my choice to help others. That bothered me.

My parents were more enthusiastic. My dad said, "I have to write about that," but I didn't think he'd actually do it. He did. He wrote a screenplay and directed a feature film titled Smile, starring Mika Boorem (the little sister in Blue Crush), who plays me. We filmed in China, and I got to be in a scene at my high school back in Malibu.

Even if Smile doesn't become a blockbuster [it came out in April, just as this magazine went to press], my dad just wants people to know there is more to life than Hollywood glamour. Smile shows that people everywhere have the common bond of caring for children.

I learned that a kid from Malibu can help kids on the other side of the world. Even if you have less than two weeks to give, you can change lives. Now, I'm working toward dance and business majors at Loyola-Marymount College in Los Angeles, but I am considering becoming a doctor. No matter what I ultimately choose, Operation Smile showed me that I can do whatever I put my mind to. And you can too?

To get involved with Operation Smile, go to operationsmile.org and look up the section on student programs. Operation Smile can always use volunteers, and you can even start a club at your school if there isn't one yet. Even if Operation Smile isn't for you, there is always something you can get involved in to help underprivileged people. It's a great thing to do--and you'll feel enriched by the opportunity.