The amount of children that don’t have access to books is growing and along with that the graduation rate in low-income areas is declining. In middle- and upper-income neighborhoods the ratio of books to children is 13 books per child, in low-income neighborhoods the ratio is one book for every 300 children. When children don’t have access to books there education struggles, research shows that the average 5 year old from a middle-income home recognizes 22 letters of the alphabet while an average 5 year old from a low-income home recognizes only 9. The income of a family determines the success in school because less resources are offered to lower-income areas. After I did a research project for school on educational poverty I realized that areas around me were in the same situation, so I decided to do something about it. I started a program called Indy Youth Outreach, the program is aimed towards areas of the community that don't get a lot of outside assistance. My primary goal in starting the program is to help children gain access to reading materials and promote education. Indy Youth Outreach started by collecting just books and distributing them throughout the city, now the program collects books, school supplies, toys, games, and winter attire for children. The program works with areas and community centers around Indianapolis, Indiana that wouldn’t have access otherwise. The program only donates high-quality books, school supplies, etc that don't have any tears, scratches, or other blemishes. The program started in my bedroom after I cleared out an area in my closet to store the books, to spread the word I posted on social media asking for donations. 1 month later I had to move the books down to the basement for more space to store and organize the books. Now, 8 months later the program has expanded to not only books but school supplies, games, toys, and clothes. We now help 4 different large low-income areas of Central Indiana. Indy Youth Outreach now has its own storage unit, website, and community connections. As the program grows our impact on the community as a whole grows too, which means that the ratio of books to children is changing for the good. My goal to close the gap in education between low-income and middle-income families has become known around Indianapolis, the program has now partnered with Indianapolis’s Little Free Library, Indy Book Project, and other non-profit organizations to make the most difference in children's lives. As the leader of the program it makes me so happy to see how far Indy Youth Outreach has come in terms of helping the most people possible. As Indianapolis’s number of families in poverty increases I hope to change the stereotype that impoverished areas aren’t educated. With Indy Youth Outreach spreading books throughout Indianapolis the education rate will increase causing poverty to decrease. The ultimate goal is to put a book in the hands of every single child in Indiana.

Growing up in a middle-class family, living in a town full of middle-class people, and going to one of the top-rated high schools in the state closes you off to what other people are struggling through. When the pandemic started it made me realize that there are people in my community that are struggling. When someone is struggling to pay the bills the first things to go are toys and book. So, I decided to help the families of Central Indiana by giving them books, school supplies, toys, games, and clothes that are in great condition. I started a program called Indy Youth Outreach, the program is aimed towards areas of the community that don't get a lot of outside assistance. My primary goal in starting the program is to help children gain access to reading materials and promote education. Indy Youth Outreach started by collecting just books and distributing them throughout the city, now the program collects books, school supplies, toys, games, and winter attire for children. The program works with areas and community centers around Indianapolis, Indiana that wouldn’t have access otherwise. The program only donates high-quality books, school supplies, etc that don't have any tears, scratches, or other blemishes. The program started in my bedroom after I cleared out an area in my closet to store the books, to spread the word I posted on social media asking for donations. 1 month later I had to move the books down to the basement for more space to store and organize the books. Now, 8 months later the program has expanded to not only books but school supplies, games, toys, and clothes. We now help 4 different large low-income areas of Central Indiana. Indy Youth Outreach now has its own storage unit, website, and community connections. As the program grows our impact on the community as a whole grows too, which means that the ratio of books to children is changing for the good. My goal to close the gap in education between low-income and middle-income families has become known around Indianapolis, the program has now partnered with Indianapolis’s Little Free Library, Indy Book Project, and other non-profit organizations to make the most difference in children's lives. As the leader of the program it makes me so happy to see how far Indy Youth Outreach has come in terms of helping the most people possible. As Indianapolis’s number of families in poverty increases I hope to change the stereotype that impoverished areas aren’t educated. With Indy Youth Outreach spreading books throughout Indianapolis the education rate will increase causing poverty to decrease. The ultimate goal is to put a book in the hands of every single child in Indiana.

Knee braces, medicine, pain, and bullies, for years this is what my life has revolved around. When I was 9 I started to experience pain in my knees, as years went on the pain got worse and worse. After 9 doctors, 6 hospitals, and 5 years of searching for answers I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome(EDS) at 14 years old. EDS is a rare genetic mutation in collagen that results in loose connective tissue around your joints, so joints have less support resulting in dislocations. All through middle school and the beginning of high school I had to wear knee braces, back braces, sometimes be on crutches for a day or 2, and even be on bed rest when my knee would dislocate. A Lot of people bullied me, they called me names and tripped me in the halls, but having to live through that made me who I am today. Not very many people wanted to be associated with the “injured girl” or the “crippled” so I didn't have very many close friends, but those few who are my friends will be my friends for life. I had to go through some very rough times in my life but it taught me to stand up for myself, to not care about what others thought, and to advocate for what I needed. On days that I have to use crutches people walk by me in the hallway and roll their eyes; they didn’t understand that my knee would flare up and not let me walk for one day. People will tell me that I am for attention and all I can think is “only if you could feel this pain you wouldn’t think I was faking”, having to go through all of that made me who I am today. Having to advocate for myself made me realize that I was interested in advocating for others and helping people with disabilities. Having EDS made me realize that after high school I want to pursue a career in physical or speech therapy that specializes in helping people with disabling genetic syndromes. People don’t realize that you can’t see every person's disability and without someone helping people with disabilities this is never going to change. People jump to conclusions when they don't know the whole story, people assume that someone is faking when they can’t see their disability. Just because you can’t see the problem doesn’t mean it’s not there, every person deserves to be treated equally no matter what they look like or what they have gone through.

When I was 9 started to experience pain in my knees, as years went on the pain got worse and worse. After 9 doctors, 6 hospitals, and 5 years of searching for answers I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome(EDS) at 14 years old. EDS is a rare genetic mutation in collagen that results in loose connective tissue around your joints. Even though I finally received a diagnosis my pain and hardships were nowhere near over. Not very many people wanted to be associated with the “injured girl” or the “crippled” so I didn't have very many close friends, but those few who are my friends will be my friends for life. A Lot of people bullied me, they called me names and tripped me in the halls. People would tell me I was faking for attention and all I could think was “only if you could feel this pain you wouldn’t think I was faking”. Ultimately the bullying taught me to stand up for myself, to not care about what others thought, and to advocate for what I needed. After years of suffering through bullying, I realized that I didn’t have to prove myself to anyone, there was no reason for me to care what other people thought of me. It wasn’t like a switch I could just turn on and off though, I couldn’t just block out what others thought. I did learn to stand up for myself and to ultimately not care about what I was hearing people say about me. After a few years, I finally started to accept who I am and what I can’t change, I finally realized that having EDS wasn’t a bad thing it just made me different, and who would want to be like the bullies? After I accepted that I can’t change who I am and that I wouldn’t want to even if I could, I realized that there are other teenagers going through the same thing that I went through and that they probably don’t have someone around me truly understand what they are going through just like me. Having no one around my age to understand what I was truly going through or to help me advocate for myself made me realize that I was interested in advocating for others and helping people with disabilities. Having EDS made me realize that after high school I want to pursue a career in physical or speech therapy that specializes in helping people with disabling genetic syndromes. People don’t realize that you can’t see every person's disability and without someone helping people with disabilities this is never going to change. People jump to conclusions when they don't know the whole story, people assume that someone is faking when they can’t see their disability. Just because you can’t see the problem doesn’t mean it’s not there, every person deserves to be treated equally no matter what they look like or what they have gone through.

Every time I have a hard day I remember the quote that a famous football coach, Vince Lombardi once said- “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up”. When I was 14 I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome(EDS) which is a rare genetic mutation in collagen that results in loose connective tissue around your joints. Having EDS caused me to go through some very rough times in my life because of pain and bullying, but it taught me to keep getting up, to not care about what others thought, and to advocate for what I needed. Every time someone calls me a name or rolls their eyes at me in the hallway I always think of that quote and just remind myself that what they think doesn’t matter. Having to advocate for myself and stay strong through rough times has made me realize that I am interested in advocating and helping others with disabilities. After high school, I have decided that I am going to pursue a career in physical or speech therapy that specializes in helping people with disabling genetic syndromes. People that are treated differently and bullied are expected to fall and not get back up, that's why they are treated differently. This quote has inspired me on multiple occasions to show people that I can keep getting up, no one can push me down and expect me to stay down. I am a strong, powerful woman that will keep standing.

My first word I learned to say as a little kid was Mom. She’s the one woman that always nurtured me, that always held me, that always loved me. No one loves us like our mothers, no one is willing to sacrifice everything for us like our mothers. As a kid, my mom was the one that helped me with math and science homework as she did work that she needed to do for her job. My mom was always the one that took me from dance practice, to track practice, to gymnastics practice, then somehow come home and make dinner every night. Sometimes I'm convinced that my mom is a superhero, that's the only reason that could explain how she manages to work a full-time job, take me everywhere I need, keep the house clean, make dinner every night, stay a great wife, and still keep a positive attitude. By far the most admirable woman in my life is my mother. My mom inspires me not only because she loves us more than herself, but because somehow it seems like she has managed to do everything she sets her mind to. My mom has taught me to follow my dreams and do what is best for me, not what others expect from me. My mom was judged and still is judged for having me at 40 so she could establish her professional life before having kids. My mom always says “don’t listen to what others think, just listen to what you believe”, she has taught me more in 16 years of life than anyone could learn from years and years of schooling. My mom is the one that made me realize I want to help people for the rest of my life, this is why after high school I plan to pursue a career in speech therapy. My mom isn’t just someone that I admire, she is the one person I will always look to for advice and wisdom no matter what.

Education is a big deal in our world today; all education starts with books. The amount of children that don’t have access to books is growing and along with that, the graduation rate in low-income areas is declining. In middle- and upper-income neighborhoods the ratio of books to children is 13 books per child, in low-income neighborhoods the ratio is one book for every 300 children. When children don’t have access to books their education struggles, research shows that the average 5-year-old from a middle-income home recognizes 22 letters of the alphabet while an average 5-year-old from a low-income home recognizes only 9. The income of a family determines the success in school because fewer resources are offered to lower-income areas. After I did a research project for school on educational poverty I realized that areas around me were in the same situation, so I decided to do something about it. I started a program called Indy Youth Outreach, the program is aimed towards areas of the community that don't get a lot of outside assistance. My primary goal in starting the program is to help children gain access to reading materials and promote education. Indy Youth Outreach started by collecting just books and distributing them throughout the city, now the program collects books, school supplies, toys, games, and winter attire for children. The program works with areas and community centers around Indianapolis, Indiana that wouldn’t have access otherwise. The program only donates high-quality books, school supplies, etc that don't have any tears, scratches, or other blemishes. The program started in my bedroom after I cleared out an area in my closet to store the books, to spread the word I posted on social media asking for donations. 1 month later I had to move the books down to the basement for more space to store and organize the books. Now, 8 months later the program has expanded to not only books but school supplies, games, toys, and clothes. We now help 4 different large low-income areas of Central Indiana. Indy Youth Outreach now has its own storage unit, website, and community connections. As the program grows our impact on the community as a whole grows too, which means that the ratio of books to children is changing for the good. My goal to close the gap in education between low-income and middle-income families has become known around Indianapolis, the program has now partnered with Indianapolis’s Little Free Library, Indy Book Project, and other non-profit organizations to make the most difference in children's lives. As the leader of the program, it makes me so happy to see how far Indy Youth Outreach has come in terms of helping the most people possible. As Indianapolis’s number of families in poverty increases, I hope to change the stereotype that impoverished areas aren’t educated. With Indy Youth Outreach spreading books throughout Indianapolis the education rate will increase causing poverty to decrease. The ultimate goal is to put a book in the hands of every single child in Indiana.

The amount of children that don’t have access to books is growing and along with that, the graduation rate in low-income areas is declining. In middle- and upper-income neighborhoods the ratio of books to children is 13 books per child, in low-income neighborhoods the ratio is one book for every 300 children. When children don’t have access to books their education struggles, research shows that the average 5-year-old from a middle-income home recognizes 22 letters of the alphabet while an average 5-year-old from a low-income home recognizes only 9. The income of a family determines the success in school because fewer resources are offered to lower-income areas. After I did a research project for school on educational poverty I realized that areas around me were in the same situation, so I decided to do something about it. I started a program called Indy Youth Outreach, the program is aimed towards areas of the community that don't get a lot of outside assistance. My primary goal in starting the program is to help children gain access to reading materials and promote education. Indy Youth Outreach started by collecting just books and distributing them throughout the city, now the program collects books, school supplies, toys, games, and winter attire for children. The program works with areas and community centers around Indianapolis, Indiana that wouldn’t have access otherwise. The program only donates high-quality books, school supplies, etc that don't have any tears, scratches, or other blemishes. The program started in my bedroom after I cleared out an area in my closet to store the books, to spread the word I posted on social media asking for donations. 1 month later I had to move the books down to the basement for more space to store and organize the books. Now, 8 months later the program has expanded to not only books but school supplies, games, toys, and clothes. We now help 4 different large low-income areas of Central Indiana. Indy Youth Outreach now has its own storage unit, website, and community connections. As the program grows our impact on the community as a whole grows too, which means that the ratio of books to children is changing for the good. My goal to close the gap in education between low-income and middle-income families has become known around Indianapolis, the program has now partnered with Indianapolis’s Little Free Library, Indy Book Project, and other non-profit organizations to make the most difference in children's lives. As the leader of the program, it makes me so happy to see how far Indy Youth Outreach has come in terms of helping the most people possible. As Indianapolis’s number of families in poverty increases, I hope to change the stereotype that impoverished areas aren’t educated. With Indy Youth Outreach spreading books throughout Indianapolis the education rate will increase causing poverty to decrease. The ultimate goal is to put a book in the hands of every single child in Indiana.

Knee braces, medicine, pain, and bully's, for years this is what my life revolved around. When I was 9 started to experience pain in my knees, as years went on the pain got worse and worse. After 9 doctors, 6 hospitals, and 5 years of searching for answers I was diagnosed with Ehlers danlos syndrome(EDS) at 14 years old. EDS is a rare genetic mutation in collagen that results in loose connective tissue around your joints, so joints have less support resulting in dislocations. All through middle school and the beginning of high school I had to wear knee braces, back braces, sometimes be on crutches for a day or 2, and even be on bed rest when my knee would dislocate. A Lot of people bullied me, they called me names and tripped me in the halls, but having to live through that made me who I am today. Not very many people wanted to be associated with the “injured girl” or the “crippled” so I didn't have very many close friends, but those few who are my friends will be my friends for life. I had to go through some very rough times in my life but it taught me to stand up for myself, to not care about what others thought, and to advocate for what I needed. On days that I had to use crutches people would walk by me in the hallway and roll their eyes; they didn’t understand that my knee would flare up and not let me walk for one day. People would tell me I was faking for attention and all I could think was “only if you could feel this pain you wouldn’t think I was faking”, having to go through all of that made me who I am today. Having to advocate for myself made me realize that I was interested in advocating for others and helping people with disabilities. After highschool I have decided that I am going to pursue a career in physical or speech therapy that specializes in helping people with disabling genetic syndromes. People don’t realize that you can’t see every person's disability and without someone helping people with disabilities this is never going to change. People jump to conclusions when they don't know the whole story, people assume that someone is faking when they can’t see their disability. Just because you can’t see the problem doesn’t mean it’s not there, every person deserves to be treated equally no matter what they look like or what they have gone through.