From Silence to Symphony by Kailyn

From Silence to Symphony by Kailyn - May 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I had unlimited time and money… I wouldn’t just build something—I’d spark a movement. Not a flashy tech startup or a cookie-cutter nonprofit, but something rooted in community, culture, and real change. I’d call it The People’s Policy Project—or PPP for short. It would start right here in New York, but the impact would stretch way beyond.
PPP would be a hub where young people—especially those from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds—learn how to write legislation, speak truth to power, and create the kind of policies that actually reflect their communities. I’d combine everything I’ve learned from school, leadership, and life to bring it to life.
In history class, I learned how systems are often built to benefit the few. In government, I learned how change is slow, but not impossible. Through student government, Key Club, and leading my step team, I’ve learned how to organize, communicate, and build something bigger than myself. My internship with the New York Democrats showed me what policy looks like in action—and what it lacks when the people most affected aren’t at the table.
But some of my biggest lessons came outside of school. Growing up, I didn’t always see people who looked like me making the rules—we were too often on the receiving end of them. I found my voice through stepping, of all things. It started as something I did for fun, but it quickly became how I led. Through rhythm and movement, I found confidence, presence, and power. Now, as team captain, I see how every beat, every stomp, is its own form of advocacy. That same energy would be at the heart of PPP.
The project would offer free training for youth on how to understand—and change—public policy. We’d host town halls, policy hackathons, and community vision boards. People would get grants to launch voter drives, neighborhood cleanups, or whatever change they see fit. And we’d hire folks who are usually left out—formerly incarcerated individuals, single parents, high school students—as staff, trainers, and decision-makers. Because real solutions come from real people.
We’d start in schools and libraries, but eventually expand to community centers, small towns, and anywhere voices go unheard. And unlike traditional spaces, ours would be joyful and alive—music at the start of every session, art on the walls, food from local spots. We’d celebrate our wins loudly, because justice should feel good.
My long-term goal is to become a public policy attorney, writing laws that protect and uplift. I want to be the person behind the scenes helping communities navigate legal systems—and rewrite the rules when they don’t work. Education is how I’ll get there, but I never want to lose touch with the people I’m fighting for.
Through my work with Laru Beya, Sunrise Movement, church, and school clubs, I’ve already started planting these seeds. But with unlimited time and money? We’d grow something powerful.
And maybe, one day, there’s a girl out there who doubts herself the way I once did. Maybe she walks into a PPP workshop, sees someone who looks like her leading the room, and thinks, wait—maybe I can, too.
That’s the impact I dream of.