I began playing piano at senior centers in San Jose with other children when I was nine. When I started high school, I took a leap of faith and began performing solo piano concerts at the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living. Each visit consists of two hour-long recitals in the assisted-living and skilled-nursing centers. With … Read moreClose the Technology Gap for Seniors
I have always thought about how I can change the world by starting small. I want to impact the world positively through the minds of our future, children. I have been performing and acting since the age of 2. I have grown to love it so much that I am continuing it in college and … Read moreChange the World By Starting Small
Working with children has always been something that I found crazy, partially because I liked it so much and partially because how could I possibly? The first time a group of kids were plopped in front of me was at Girl Scout camp, when I was a volunteer counselor. It was, well, insane. The girls … Read moreListen and Learn and Understand What Everyone Else Has to Say
Whether they are swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, playing in our backyard, or roaming in the African safaris all types of animals run risks. Every single ocean in the world has plastic discarded. Who are the victims? Sea animals are. In all 50 states in the U.S, organized animal fights are a felony that continues … Read moreAll Types of Animals are at Risk
I’ve been scratched, bitten, spit on, screamed at, and peed on by several kids with special needs. They are still my favorite people on earth. Growing up, there were many times I felt embarrassed of my younger brother with autism, who drooled all over his shirts and sang too loudly in public places. As I … Read moreLoving My Beautiful Friends with Special Needs
The Amazon, the Atlantic Forest, the Congo Basin, Eastern Australia, and Sumatra are just a few examples of forested areas that are home to some of the world’s best biodiversity hot spots. But according to the World Wildlife Foundation, these are just five regions out of eleven that are at significant risk for “catastrophic deforestation … Read moreThe First Step Towards Reforesting the World is Sympathy
What can I do? As soon as I put the book down, I knew I had to do something. Kisses from Katie, a book describing one college freshman journey of moving to Uganda and starting a nonprofit, captivated my attention from the time I picked it up to the time I finished it. My sheltered … Read morePassion to Serve
There are three doors that slide open with jerks, like zippers on thrift store jackets, revealing book displays and yellow circulation pencils. Since elementary school, I’ve entered the doors to my local city’s public library countless times. Growing up, I never saw my parents reading. As first-generation immigrants, they said they didn’t have time. But … Read moreLibraries Represent an Open Community
It was 2003 when I was finally placed in a stable home. My biological mother was young, unable to care for a child, and spent her life in and out of prison struggling with addiction, so it wasn’t unusual for me to be tossed from one person to another before I met my forever mom. … Read moreEliminating the Gap Between Hearing and Deaf Community
For the past few years, I have found great joy in helping the special needs students at my school. One of my friends has a form of palsy, and uses a wheelchair to move. A lot of the other students will not talk to him; his speech is difficult to understand at times and his … Read moreMore Opportunities to Interact and Collaborate for Children with Special Needs