The bright lights of this Hollywood theater. The audience of distinguished guests. The weight of expectation on shoulders. As I step onto the stage, I see Dr. Jane Goodall waiting for me, arms outstretched as she welcomes me into her embrace. I close my eyes for a second, take a deep breath, and think back on what brought me here to receive the 2011 Jane Goodall Global Leadership Award.
Just over four years before this ceremony, I was the invisible one. I trembled when talking to strangers, and I nearly cried while inviting my two new middle school friends to my birthday party. I cared deeply about animal issues, but my extreme introversion overpowered my desire to spearhead needed change in my community. However, in eighth grade, I had the opportunity to attend one of Dr. Jane Goodall’s lectures. During her talk, Dr. Jane said that caring, action-oriented young people represent her main hope for positive global change, both in the present and in the future.
That day, her call to action sparked in me something stronger than fear. I slowly began to overcome my shyness, ignored my anxieties, and brought together a group of friends to form a local humanitarian and environmental group through Jane Goodall’s global youth organization, Roots & Shoots. Months after forming, I led this group in applying for and winning a $10,000 grant. Deciding that this money would be best used to help empower others, we founded the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program, which awards funding to youth to help them design and lead their own environmental initiatives. Our group of eighth graders, with the formerly invisible child at its head, created a nationally-recognized nonprofit grant program. I transformed into program coordinator, assembling a team of youth and adults to organize and lead the program with me.
As the micro-grant program began to evolve and grow, so did I. I was invited to attend international environmental conferences; take leadership roles in Roots & Shoots regionally, nationally, and internationally; and speak alongside Dr. Jane Goodall herself at the University of Chicago. With each additional opportunity, my confidence swelled and my desire to continue my campaign for positive environmental change grew stronger. As I created this change around me, I noticed a change in myself.
At the podium, I wonder how this audience sees me today. Am I still the invisible one? Outwardly, no, yet that timid girl still hides inside of me. She tells me when to listen rather than speak, reminding me of how far I have come and how far I have yet to go. When I’m discouraged or downtrodden, I can return to her, the animal-loving child in me, and find renewed sense of purpose. I am a changed individual, but the old Lauren will always lie within me, even as I continue to add new layers onto myself.
I open my eyes, smile at the audience, and let out my breath. I find my voice and begin to speak.
Just over four years before this ceremony, I was the invisible one. I trembled when talking to strangers, and I nearly cried while inviting my two new middle school friends to my birthday party. I cared deeply about animal issues, but my extreme introversion overpowered my desire to spearhead needed change in my community. However, in eighth grade, I had the opportunity to attend one of Dr. Jane Goodall’s lectures. During her talk, Dr. Jane said that caring, action-oriented young people represent her main hope for positive global change, both in the present and in the future.
That day, her call to action sparked in me something stronger than fear. I slowly began to overcome my shyness, ignored my anxieties, and brought together a group of friends to form a local humanitarian and environmental group through Jane Goodall’s global youth organization, Roots & Shoots. Months after forming, I led this group in applying for and winning a $10,000 grant. Deciding that this money would be best used to help empower others, we founded the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program, which awards funding to youth to help them design and lead their own environmental initiatives. Our group of eighth graders, with the formerly invisible child at its head, created a nationally-recognized nonprofit grant program. I transformed into program coordinator, assembling a team of youth and adults to organize and lead the program with me.
As the micro-grant program began to evolve and grow, so did I. I was invited to attend international environmental conferences; take leadership roles in Roots & Shoots regionally, nationally, and internationally; and speak alongside Dr. Jane Goodall herself at the University of Chicago. With each additional opportunity, my confidence swelled and my desire to continue my campaign for positive environmental change grew stronger. As I created this change around me, I noticed a change in myself.
At the podium, I wonder how this audience sees me today. Am I still the invisible one? Outwardly, no, yet that timid girl still hides inside of me. She tells me when to listen rather than speak, reminding me of how far I have come and how far I have yet to go. When I’m discouraged or downtrodden, I can return to her, the animal-loving child in me, and find renewed sense of purpose. I am a changed individual, but the old Lauren will always lie within me, even as I continue to add new layers onto myself.
I open my eyes, smile at the audience, and let out my breath. I find my voice and begin to speak.