#MakeKindnessCool by Rachell

#MakeKindnessCool by Rachell - May 2018 Scholarship Essay

I have been volunteering with the nonprofit organization The Be ONE Project for the duration of my high school career, and I am graduating next month as a completely different individual than I was four years ago due to this incredibly fulfilling and enriching opportunity. The Be ONE Project utilizes the idea of positive peer pressure to create and present anti-bullying and community-building programs at elementary and middle schools across the nation. I decided to join the organization my freshman year after a favorite teacher recommended the project to me, and though I did not realize it at the time, I can look back now and realize this was the best decision I ever made.
The Be ONE Project transformed me from a shy, insecure freshman to a passionate, confident senior. Immediately after becoming involved in the organization, I began training to become a Program Presenter and therefore lead the full-day prevention programs put on for the students. The process to become qualified is 100+ hours of training, memorization, and practice, and when I finally earned the honor of presenting my first program at an elementary school in Wickenburg, Arizona, I realized that it would certainly not be my last. Let’s just say that nothing forces you to be confident more than 100 pairs of eyes scanning your every move. Now leading programs is something I do almost as frequently as breathing, and I thrive off of the energy I receive from helping the students. As a Program Presenter, I lead them in team bonding activities and thought-provoking conversations, facilitate sharing of their personal experiences with bullying, and give a 20-minute speech at each program highlighting the importance of withholding judgement of others.
After two years of leading local programs, I proposed a high school club model to the founder of the project, who was thrilled at the prospect of extending the program’s message to older students as well. Therefore, I became the spearhead of the #MakeKindnessCool movement my junior year when I founded and served as the President of The Be ONE Club, the first anti-bullying club at my high school. This group went on to empower elementary and middle school students statewide and teach them about accepting others despite their differences. I coordinated and planned programs at several elementary schools, and for each program, I gathered a team of 20+ high school volunteers, communicated with administration teams, and managed logistics. At these events, we led students in many workshops that were designed to show them that bullying can be eradicated with kindness. One of my goals for the club was to form a partnership with GSRM, another club on campus focused on the unity of Gender, Sexuality, and Romantic Minorities, and we did exactly that. I worked with the executive board of this club to bridge a connection between our two groups. Members of GSRM attended every meeting, and more importantly, served as crucial volunteers at our outreach programs to tell their stories and spread a message of vulnerability and acceptance.
The Be ONE Project has taught me so much about myself, and it has instilled in me a love for helping others and a passion for education. I came into high school with a detailed plan to study Psychiatry in college, and I am graduating with a dream of becoming a high school teacher. I believe that teachers have an immense amount of influence, and I would love to use this power to spread kindness and acceptance among students. I am forever grateful to the project for also providing me with the most beautiful memories of authentic human interactions and connections. I have never found myself happier than when I am leading a program and watching students yearn to truly understand one another. Lastly, the Be ONE Project taught me that being transparent about my own story helps others who are fighting the same battles. My platform for presentations is very focused around my experiences with negative self-image due to growing up plus-size and the pain I felt through elementary, middle, and high school because of this. This project has given me the incredible opportunity to inspire young people for four years of my life, and I am thrilled to continue this journey throughout college.