From a young age family members, friends, and teachers would often tell my parents that I was a leader. Maybe they saw it when I taught my little brother to hold the door for the person behind him or when I opened other kids’ snacks before opening my own. My leadership ability has always guided me to help others. I was guided to start an Anti-Bully Walk and to become the overall chairperson of Danny Hammond Dance Marathon (DHDM). I founded the Anti-Bully Walk in 2016 to bring people together to end bullying and promote awareness for mental health. When I became the leader of DHDM in 2019, I wanted to enhance the impact and hope for families suffering under a childhood cancer diagnosis. These opportunities are the greatest and most rewarding experiences of my life thus far.
I gained leadership experience and organizational skills, but I believe the skills of developing my empathy, kindness, and compassion for others are far more important.
Volunteer work gave me the awareness of how I can give rather than my natural mentality of how can I get. I realized the impact that my mere presence had on other people. I learned that my smile to a stranger could be the only sunshine they see that day and how my monetary donations are one step closer to a charitable solution.
When I got to college, a lot of my philanthropic worked slowed up so I started to ask myself, “How can I continue to make the world a better place?” The answer was simple: do the next right thing. If I treat the next person that I meet with kindness, throw away my trash in the garbage bin, and donate when I can, I make the world a better place.
Here is a list of ideas on how to make the world a better place.
- Complete a random act of kindness.
- Volunteer your time.
- Foster an animal.
- Donate blood.
- Repost about a social movement.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
- Pick up trash.
- Educate yourself on different religions, cultures, and lifestyles.
- Accept people for who they are.
- Stand up for equality.
- Try to have a positive mindset.
Just imagine if every person did one thing to make the world a better place today, we would have billions of smiling faces, hundreds of people feeling accepted about who they are, and lots of generosity in the world. Use the list above as a springboard, then take a few moments to consider how you can improve the world around you.
Every day is a learning opportunity!
Bella