Ever since I was little, I have had a fascination with trees. I spent most of my childhood in Oregon, in a home dwarfed by the six Giant Sequoias growing in the backyard. In front of those sequoias, there were three English walnuts, a Katsura tree, and an assortment of Rhododendrons and Japanese Maples. I … Read moreUrban Forests Planted with the Future in Mind
The unspoken stigma of people with disabilities is a significant challenge that our society faces today. We are taught from a young age to not stare at someone who is “different”. We try so hard to overlook their disabilities that we overlook them entirely. From having feeding tubes to wheelchairs to less noticeable disabilities, we … Read morePeople with Disabilities Have a Superpower Most Do Not Want: Invisibility
What do you want to be when you grow up? This question is asked to most children their first years of schooling. The most common answers are they want to be doctors, nurses, teachers, or astronauts. In the next decade, however, those big jobs they dreamt of having change and sometimes it’s not for good … Read moreOnce Big Dreaming Children
My 11-year old self set foot in Bangladesh with no expectations nor ideas of what the land would look like, what the air would smell like, what a taxi would look like, or even how the people commonly dressed. Learning about the country from stories of my mother’s childhood, movies, and television shows made me … Read moreMaking the Grass Greener for Children
For the past 10 years I have created change for the better for the children in my community. From a young age, I found that I had a huge heart for serving others. This realization came to me one Sunday morning at my church when I was eight years old. My pastor was talking about … Read moreCreating a Better Community for Children
I’ve always had an interest in the welfare of animals. Even when I was little, I would fantasize about volunteering at animal shelters when I got older, and I imagined myself becoming a veterinarian when I grew up. But when I was young, I never thought my love of animals would bring me so close … Read moreChange the Needless Killing of Poached Animals
The human connection is something that we all crave. Our longing to be with one another and experience social interaction is with us our whole lives. Especially in today’s environment, it has become increasingly harder to maintain this connection for many people. Whether it be distance from family members or coronavirus, the elderly population has … Read moreReducing Isolation of Our Elderly
To make our society a better place for children, I believe having a good leader to show them how to be the best they can be. A good leader’s characteristics include accountability for their attitude, effort and behavior. I don’t think a good leader is born a good leader; it is definitely a learned behavior. … Read moreMake Our Society a Better Place for Children
C.S. Lewis once said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” This quote by Lewis conveys the importance of being humble. Knowing how important being a humble person is, I realize the human capacity I most want to nurture in myself is humility. To me, humility is a powerful characteristic … Read moreI Want to Become More Humble
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”. – Malcolm X. This is the pinnacle of education. Education is the enlightenment, the ability to think. Education is the ultimate form of power, the intelligence that is acquired through the pure form; it is the greatest achievement … Read moreEducation System is Limiting the Potential of Our Children