At seven years old, I was inspired by the arts as I watched my friend Sarah perform in a community theatre production of "Annie." Many of my classmates teased and labeled me since I had chosen theatre over sports, the more traditional route boys at that age select. I could have changed course and followed what the “cool guys” did. Being strong-willed and determined, I learned how to process the teasing. I also realized that the show’s director was using constructive criticism to take my acting to the next level. It was at this point that theatre shifted from a hobby into a passion as I looked forward to sharpening my skills with each performance. The performing arts are so much more than entertainment. They are a story. They are an education. They are a collaboration. The performing arts give me the power to change people’s lives by raising awareness about anti-bullying, putting a smile on a senior citizen’s face, and guiding children to make intelligent decisions. These experiences have shaped my leadership and mentoring skills as well as bolstered my altruistic nature. My first exposure to the influential power of performing was in the new, professional musical "It’s Easy: The Friend Strong Musical." This show, about the impacts of bullying, features the importance of being an UPstander rather than a bystander. "It’s Easy" introduced me to the Be A Friend Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness of bullying and where letters of peer support are written to bullied children. I quickly immersed myself in this program and have since held positions of increasing responsibility. Recently, the program’s founder elevated me to “Super Ambassador” in recognition of my long-term commitment to the project. I am also the Meeting Facilitator for the National Kindness-In-Action Teen Board. Participating in "It’s Easy" and the Be A Friend Project (BAFP) motivated me to positively influence my school community. I founded the “UPstanders Club” to spread awareness about and action against bullying. In the first year of the "UPstanders Club," we raised over $500 for The Trevor Project. I want to continue working with the BAFP and show more children that they are supported. I am proud to be the Vice President of Songs for Souls, a high school club with a mission to bring joy to senior citizens through musical performances. Watching senior citizens smile and hum along in their seats when we sing provides me with gratitude. At the height of the pandemic, the club adapted by creating videos of ourselves performing. I want to continue this club’s mission and organize performances at additional Senior Citizen Centers. I will look to find ambassadors who are willing to do similar projects with senior citizens in their respective communities. This summer, a high school friend and I led an improvisation workshop to educate young children about the effects of drugs and alcohol. We developed scene ideas for the children to present without preparation, placing them in peer pressure situations that they may face. This activity allowed the children to explore how they can react if they are faced with uncomfortable circumstances. The improv was done with younger children, but drama therapy such as this has proven to be successful for all ages. I would like to lead similar workshops in the future to dissuade people from making life-threatening choices. I love the the performing arts as it not only allows me to entertain and educate others but also to make a positive impact. I will continue to use this platform to make the world a better place.

The performing arts are so much more than entertainment. They are a story. They are an education. They are a collaboration. The performing arts give me the power to change people’s lives by raising awareness about anti-bullying, putting a smile on a senior citizen’s face, and guiding children to make intelligent decisions. These experiences have shaped my leadership and mentoring skills as well as bolstered my altruistic nature. My first exposure to the influential power of performing was in the new, professional musical It’s Easy: The Friend Strong Musical. This show, about the impacts of bullying, features the importance of being an UPstander rather than a bystander. It’s Easy introduced me to the “Be A Friend Project,” a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness of bullying and where letters of peer support are written to bullied children. I quickly immersed myself in this program and have since held positions of increasing responsibility. Recently, the program’s founder elevated me to “Super Ambassador” in recognition of my long-term commitment to the project. I am also the Meeting Facilitator for the National Kindness-In-Action Teen Board. Participating in It’s Easy and the Be A Friend Project (BAFP) motivated me to positively influence my school community. I founded the “UPstanders Club” to spread awareness about and action against bullying. In the first year of the "UPstanders Club," we raised over $500 for The Trevor Project. I want to continue working with the BAFP and show more children that they are supported. I am proud to be the Vice President of Songs for Souls, a high school club with a mission to bring joy to senior citizens through musical performances. Watching senior citizens smile and hum along in their seats when we sing provides me with gratitude. At the height of the pandemic, the club adapted by creating videos of ourselves performing. I want to continue this club’s mission and organize performances at additional Senior Citizen Centers. I will look to find ambassadors who are willing to do similar projects with senior citizens in their respective communities. This summer, a high school friend and I led an improvisation workshop to educate young children about the effects of drugs and alcohol. We developed scene ideas for the children to present without preparation, placing them in peer pressure situations that they may face. This activity allowed the children to explore how they can react if they are faced with uncomfortable circumstances. The improv was done with younger children, but drama therapy such as this has proven to be successful for all ages. I would like to lead similar workshops in the future to dissuade people from making life-threatening choices. I love the the performing arts as it not only allows me to entertain and educate others but also to make a positive impact. I will continue to use this platform to make the world a better place.

Growing up Jewish and attending temple, whether it was going to services or attending Hebrew school twice a week, I found a community with the Rabbi, Cantor, teachers, and classmates. Unfortunately, this community is not as robust as it used to be. I noticed that the Hebrew school class sizes started declining each year. The pandemic created additional challenges for the temple as the building was closed for months and events were canceled. The truth is that membership trends have been declining for years which has resulted in annual budget deficits. My temple’s Rabbi would ask congregants for donations to make up for the budget shortfalls. This request was met with varying levels of success. With an aging population and being located in a town with few Jewish people, the demographics facing the temple are not favorable. A creative business plan is needed to re-energize the temple and set it on stronger financial footing moving forward. My business plan begins with creating additional sources of revenue outside of temple dues such as rental income. Our temple holds services on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. Other than a few Jewish holidays during the year, the building is under-utilized. I would work with local real estate agents to identify candidates (e.g., accountants and lawyers) looking for office space or groups looking to hold activities (e.g., blood drive, health screenings, bingo, bridge). A stream of rental income is highly desirable as it is recurring and predictable unlike requests for donations. Next, I will attract young families to the temple. How can we make our temple appealing to a younger audience? One way is through the creation of a vibrant youth group that offers friendship, bonding, and a safe social space. We would offer community service opportunities as many high school students need hours to fulfill graduation requirements. Marketing on social media platforms would be an effective way to promote such activities. For example, TikTok offers a “For You Page” that reaches a wide audience. To expand our outreach to the whole family, we will host bonding activities such as game nights and trips specifically for the families of youth group members. . A third solution to reviving the temple would be to reduce expenses where possible. The temple’s largest expense is salaries. If there is any room for salary reductions, they should be implemented. Services such as landscaping and pest control can be brought in-house with volunteers instead of paying outside vendors. Another area for review is energy costs. The thermostats in the temple are old and replacing them with energy-efficient thermostats can result in significant savings. The permanence of the temple is important to my family as well as the local community. Through marketing the temple in search of rental income, the addition of vibrant programs such as a youth group, and streamlining expenses, the temple will be a place where people can pray and bond for many years to come.

At the age of seven, my love for entertaining led me to join a local theatre company. Theatre was not only an opportunity for me to interact with an audience but also a safe, supportive environment. It was here where I developed a camaraderie with fellow actors and fostered many friendships. In seventh grade, I performed in a professional musical called "It’s Easy: The Friend Strong Musical." The show takes place at a middle school where bullies make life miserable, bystanders look the other way, and victims are many. The character I played had a flaw in that he was a bystander and did nothing to stop the heinous actions of the bullies. Being bullied in middle school for not following the traditional route of pursuing sports, this show had an impact on me, and I wanted to support bullied victims. This led me to the Be A Friend Project, a program where students write letters of peer support to children who have been bullied. I immersed myself in a community with a cause, an “anti-bullying” community. During my involvement with the Be A Friend Project, I have held positions of increasing responsibility. I currently serve as “Super Ambassador” and “Meeting Facilitator” for the National Kindness-In-Action Teen Board. As facilitator, I manage Board meetings and design marketing strategies to expand the Be A Friend Project’s outreach. Most recently, I was invited to the home of Mark Bertollini, Bridgewater Associates CEO, to celebrate the Be A Friend Project's fifth anniversary and encourage people to donate to the non-profit organization. In my sophomore year, I expanded this anti-bullying community to my high school through the creation of UPstanders Club. In this club, we write letters and film videos for the Be A Friend Project. We also hold fundraisers for anti-bullying organizations such as The Trevor Project and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. The Be A Friend Project has awarded my club the "Super Ambassador" position and the team of the Born This Way Foundation handwrote us a card thanking us for our generous donation. To expand my outreach, I developed a calendar of activities for anti-bullying clubs to do worldwide including film competitions, compliment weeks, and gift-giving. I am proud to be on this mission. A simple act, such as writing a letter to a victim of bullying, can have such a positive impact. I plan to expand the anti-bullying community to the university I attend.

The performing arts, my chosen profession, are so much more than entertainment. They are a story. They are an education. They are a collaboration. The performing arts give me the power to change people’s lives by raising awareness about anti-bullying, putting a smile on a senior citizen’s face, and guiding children to make intelligent decisions. These experiences have shaped my leadership and mentoring skills as well as bolstered my altruistic nature. My first exposure to the influential power of performing was in the new, professional musical It’s Easy: The Friend Strong Musical. This show, about the impacts of bullying, features the importance of being an UPstander rather than a bystander. It’s Easy introduced me to the “Be A Friend Project,” a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness of bullying and where letters of peer support are written to bullied children. I quickly immersed myself in this program and have since held positions of increasing responsibility. Recently, the program’s founder elevated me to “Super Ambassador” in recognition of my long-term commitment to the project. I am also the Meeting Facilitator for the National Kindness-In-Action Teen Board. Participating in It’s Easy and the Be A Friend Project (BAFP) motivated me to positively influence my school community. I founded the “UPstanders Club” to spread awareness about and action against bullying. I want to continue working with the BAFP and show more children that they are supported. I am proud to be the Vice President of Songs for Souls, a high school club with a mission to bring joy to senior citizens through musical performances. Watching senior citizens smile and hum along in their seats when we sing provides me with gratitude. At the height of the pandemic, the club adapted by creating videos of ourselves performing. I want to continue this club’s mission and organize performances at additional Senior Citizen Centers. I will look to find ambassadors who are willing to do similar projects with senior citizens in their respective communities. This summer, a high school friend and I led an improvisation workshop to educate young children about the effects of drugs and alcohol. We developed scene ideas for the children to present without preparation, placing them in peer pressure situations that they may face. This activity allowed the children to explore how they can react if they are faced with uncomfortable circumstances. The improv was done with younger children, but drama therapy such as this has proven to be successful for all ages. I would like to lead similar workshops in the future to dissuade people from making life-threatening choices. I love the profession I have chosen, the performing arts, as it not only allows me to entertain and educate others but also to make a positive impact. After 12 years of being bitten by the theatre bug, I will continue to use this platform to make the world a better place.

The performing arts are so much more than entertainment. They are a story. They are an education. They are a collaboration. The performing arts give me the power to change people’s lives by raising awareness about anti-bullying, putting a smile on a senior citizen’s face, and guiding children to make intelligent decisions. These experiences have shaped my leadership and mentoring skills as well as bolstered my altruistic nature. My first exposure to the influential power of performing was in the new, professional musical It’s Easy: The Friend Strong Musical. This show, about the impacts of bullying, features the importance of being an UPstander rather than a bystander. It’s Easy introduced me to the “Be A Friend Project,” a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness of bullying and where letters of peer support are written to bullied children. I quickly immersed myself in this program and have since held positions of increasing responsibility. Recently, the program’s founder elevated me to “Super Ambassador” in recognition of my long-term commitment to the project. I am also the Meeting Facilitator for the National Kindness-In-Action Teen Board. Participating in It’s Easy and the Be A Friend Project (BAFP) motivated me to positively influence my school community. I founded the “UPstanders Club” to spread awareness about and action against bullying. In the first year of the "UPstanders Club," we raised over $500 for The Trevor Project. I want to continue working with the BAFP and show more children that they are supported. I am proud to be the Vice President of Songs for Souls, a high school club with a mission to bring joy to senior citizens through musical performances. Watching senior citizens smile and hum along in their seats when we sing provides me with gratitude. At the height of the pandemic, the club adapted by creating videos of ourselves performing. I want to continue this club’s mission and organize performances at additional Senior Citizen Centers. I will look to find ambassadors who are willing to do similar projects with senior citizens in their respective communities. This summer, a high school friend and I led an improvisation workshop to educate young children about the effects of drugs and alcohol. We developed scene ideas for the children to present without preparation, placing them in peer pressure situations that they may face. This activity allowed the children to explore how they can react if they are faced with uncomfortable circumstances. The improv was done with younger children, but drama therapy such as this has proven to be successful for all ages. I would like to lead similar workshops in the future to dissuade people from making life-threatening choices. I love the the performing arts as it not only allows me to entertain and educate others but also to make a positive impact. I will continue to use this platform to make the world a better place.