Paying It Forward at the Drive Thru
Starbucks is known for making drinks, from the standard drip coffee to arguably the most popular – the Pumpkin Spice Latte. But, what a lot of people don’t realize is that every single day...
Tagged: Essay
Kindness as a Universal Language
A few months ago, through membership in a local non profit organization, Ben’s Lighthouse, I was able to immerse myself in the culture, language, and universal love found in a Congolese refugee family’s heart....
Southern Georgian Hospitality
From the historic town of Thomasville, Georgia there are many places to visit, different places to eat, and extraordinary people to greet. Out of the thousands that I have seen in Thomasville, there is...
I Wish My Kindness Made People More Angry
When I tell people about my charity Rainbow Pack, what we do, and why we do it, I usually get an, “Aww that’s so sweet.” But that isn’t the reaction that I want people...
Youth and Government: Power to the (Young) People
Political polarization can dilapidate things fundamental to our well-being as a collective species: compassion, empathy, and too often, kindness itself. As a highly politically active, activism-oriented seventeen-year-old amidst our current national divisions, I am...
Pain With A Lil’ Hope
Pain comes in many shapes and sizes. This pain was one that I couldn’t bare. Hearing the doctors telling me my mom wouldn’t live due to extreme liver failure was the one thing I...
Kindness on the Road
My dad, a thrifty Midwesterner, will tell you that one of the best things about living in the middle of the country is that one does not have to pay tolls to drive on...
Paying it Forward: A Stranger’s Drive to do Good and Give Back
In December 2013 I experienced a deep and personal loss: the death of my mother. Two days before Christmas, a man I had never met before came to my home and handed me a...
A Slip of Paper Can Make a World of a Difference
I wake up in the morning with a migraine headache that eventually made me late for my first period class at Highland Park High School. It’s the day after the election and I’m already...
The Importance of Self-Kindness
Life at 14 years old is…let’s just say…confusing. Our hormones are raging. Some of us start “peacocking” – showing off and bowing to peer pressure, dressing a certain way to be attractive. Others? Well,...