From a young age, I’ve always known the value of art. I would spend my weekends painting masterpieces stroke by stroke, building cities, worlds, and landscapes. As I grew older the importance of art became greater. Art became a way for me to decompress and cope with the ever-growing stress of high school. It was a cornerstone of my life.

So it struck me one day in class, when I saw yet another dried-out marker being tossed into the trash. I couldn’t help but wonder: What if those same markers — destined for landfills — could help a child somewhere else find the same joy I found in art?

This sparked the inspiration for me to co-found Restoring Rainbows, an international youth led nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the planet and spreading the joy of creating art. In just over a year we’ve been able to donate over 15,000 school supplies across 200 cities in 42 countries, spreading the joy and warmth of art. 

Leading Restoring Rainbows has been and will always be one of the most heartwarming experiences of my life. Young people from all over the world are starting their own branches, leading events, and organizing donation drives. These people are not superheroes but rather are regular people who believe that individual action can create societal change.  

One of the most meaningful parts of my experience was being able to meet amazing like minded people. I work with over 1,000 volunteers who are volunteering their time to work towards closing the educational and art gap. Every day I am reminded by the young people I am so fortunate to work alongside that in the face of a problem you can always invent a solution. 

Outside of Restoring Rainbows my passion for spreading joy and taking action didn’t stop. Freshman year of high school I realized how little awareness there was about diabetes in my community. Realizing that if no one was addressing the issue, I needed to step forward and do something about it. I partnered with a friend and together, we organized our high school’s first-ever charity color run. The inaugural run raised over $2,200 dollars for the American Diabetes Association and had over 40 participants.

Whether it be through art, environmental action, or community events the amount of support I’ve received has never ceased to amaze me. Time and time again, I’ve been reminded that when you step up to help others, people show up to help you too. Kindness has a way of multiplying. So if you have an idea, a passion, or a cause you believe in — don’t wait. Take that first step. You’ll be surprised by how many people will stand beside you.