Four Things I'm Thankful For

What are you thankful for?

Right now, I’m flying from DC to New Orleans to come home for the first time in 3 months. It feels like I haven’t been home in a while, since I was gone for the whole summer, even though I’ve heard the only exciting thing that’s changed is that we’ve gotten a Trader Joe’s ;) As I finish my summer and fall semester in DC and begin the holiday season, there are many things for which to be grateful.

- Family. Although my parents were initially resistant about me spending my whole summer in DC (I was home for 3 days after school ended), they let me go because they knew it’s what I’d always dreamed and wanted to do. I’m lucky to have parents who come visit me, partake in my life from adoption galas to half marathons, and believe in everything I do.

- People. In the past 6 months, I’ve met some of the most incredible people in the world. From the presidents of the world’s leading non-profits, to human trafficking survivors, my incredible foster friends, my classmates in Ford Scholars, fellow interns, congressmen and senators, friends from Model Un, this list could go on forever. These people have shaped me and taught me things I will never forget. (More to come on that in future posts)

- TCU. I’m thankful for TCU, even if it’s not always my favorite place in the world, I’m thankful for the trip 1.5 years ago that made me say I have to live here when I visited the Washington Center. Even though, I did not think it was remotely possible because of running, things do happen for a reason. Even though, I’m likely not returning to TCU, I learned so much about life, about myself, and about people and was presented with many opportunities and met friends that I will never forget.

- Opportunity. I’m thankful for the strangers and leaders that have believed in me thus far in my life. From the random people who decided I was good enough to intern and chose me for Ford, to my boss who smiled at me while I was stuffing folders and told me to remember this when I became an ambassador, I’m lucky to have these people shaping my life. And things like Alopecia and getting a sibling, which made me less of a spoiled brat.

Although this list is short, it sums up a lot. This thanksgiving season, take some time to think about what you’re thankful for and how you can use it to help others. 

On Behalf of National Adoption Day

Yesterday was National Adoption Day. A day where we celebrate the forever families thousands of kids across the country that are finalized. And while this is a victory for thousands of kids, there is much work to be done. There are still 400,000 kids in foster care across the U.S. Then, there are the approximately 20,000 youth who age out each year, either at age 18 or 21 and are basically sent off on their own without any family to lean on. Often, nowhere to go for holidays, or with whom to celebrate birthdays. The statistics are grim, 1.8% of former foster youth graduate from college. 25% are incarcerated within two years of emancipation.

 And while I’m blessed to know a few extraordinary kids who defied these odds, even as the brightest and hardest working youth, they still struggle: with healthcare, with transportation, with food. And this is just the minimum for their peers who weren’t as lucky, who didn’t have mentors or role models to teach them work ethic, who have learning disabilities, who were abused. These are the youth of the state, or youth that the state tries, and often fails, to take care of.

However large this problem may seem to you, there are things you can do. You can help one child realize their potential, to succeed in school, to go to college, to get a job. Learn about the legislation and call your members of congress and ask them to support it. H.R. 2028, Every Child Deserves a Family Act, H.R. 1732 Strengthening the Child Welfare Response Act, CHIFF-the Children in Families First Act. Serve as a mentor in your community, as a foster parent, or as a CASA. Remember, while you may be blessed to have a family this holiday season, there are 400,000 kids in foster care, and thousands more emancipated, who don’t have a family to love them by no choice of their own. Do something this holiday season to help foster youth and former foster youth remember that someone cares. You could be the one person who makes a difference in a foster youth's life.  It’s as easy as a google search to get started and here are some resources:

http://www.ccainstitute.org

www.casa.org

http://www.fc2success.org/how-you-can-help/mentor-a-student/

"Carpe-Dieming" DC

It’s November, and I’m sitting outside at the Tidal Basin where the trees are slowing losing their beauty. It’s warmer than it has been, so I took the opportunity to bike out here, do my homework, and enjoy the last inklings of fall. I can’t help think back to May when I sat on the same bench, writing during one of my days off. To think of the amazing experiences I have had and the people I’ve met in the past 6 months brings me to tears, and I don’t feel sentimental about very many other places… maybe highland road park.

If carpe diem could be used as a verb I think I’ve “carpe-diemed” most of my time here. I’ve rarely turned down opportunities and suffered a worthwhile lack of sleep for many of them. I’ve met so many incredible people and still unsure of what the spring will bring me, I’ll be sad to leave my Capitol Hill and Noma neighborhoods. There’s something about living less than a mile away from the Capitol and being able to walk almost anywhere in DC (if you really wanted to) that makes you realize, it can’t get much better than this. Realizing that I only have 18 days left in DC for a little while, even though I’ll hopefully be back soon enough, I really don’t have many regrets. There’s definitely something about knowing you’re in the right place that gives you a sense of peace. As for life, tomorrow I’m going to breakfast with Samantha Power and Cindy McCain and to a movie with Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Colin Powell. So I guess there’s no more time to be sentimental until I actually go home and enjoy these one-of-a-kind DC experiences.

On another note, I watched this video about an 11 year old coming out to her middle school about her alopecia and it also made me sentimental. Although I didn’t wear a wig in middle school, I loved her spunky personality. I know Alopecia changes some people, like me for the best. She says how she wants to tell everyone about it so that she can create a domino effect of inspiration. Love it. Here’s the link: http://vimeo.com/78995135

And on a lighter note, here is an excerpt from a hilarious and encapsulating article someone wrote about living in DC on thoughtcatalog.

“Get invited to a gala or staff your boss at an event. See people you only see on Huffington Post, New York times or CNN up close. Realize you are in the center of it all. Hear the President speak. See the crowd move. Shake his hand. Stare at hand. Call your parents.Pause on a beautiful spring day. Smell the cherry blossoms. Think: I live in DC.”

P.S. Let me know what you think about my new blog format please!

Crossing Bridges and Appreciating Adversity

Besides running my first race in a while, lots of other things have been happening in my life (it’s DC, so of course they have J)

Two weekends ago, I traveled to NYC to visit my friend Emmi, watch the NYC marathon, and visit the UN with my program. I went to dinner with Emmi and her roommates and then woke up early to go to Queens, which was mile 13 of the marathon. I was able to hang out with my friend Mr. Dick Buerkle for the whole day and watch his son and wife run the marathon. In case you don’t know, I met Mr. Dick after finding out there was a former world record holder who had Alopecia and basically stalking him on the internet until I found his phone number and spent 3 weeks convincing my dad to call him (keep in mind I was in middle school), and he did call him and Mr. Dick decided to come. It’s safe to say our friendship has been mutually beneficial. The first time Mr. Dick ever really spoke publicly about Alopecia was to my high school track team and he continued to come back each year for the Tortoise and Hair. I called him often for running advice and he called me to see how my life was going. It was neat to meet a lot of his family members and they’ve all done some really cool things, like work for the UN and travel to lots of different countries. We chased around his son and wife all day and I remembered how inspiring big marathons are from the elites to the everyday people and the disabled.

With Mr. Dick in NYC

I was also able to go on a beautiful run with Emmi, one of my longest friends from running, who became an honorary member of the Episcopal team when she didn’t have a coach in high school. We attempted to remember where we met and we settled on running camp in middle school, although we couldn’t entirely remember. We shared many races at highland and many long runs at the lakes on Sunday morning back in the day.

Running with Emmi

I also toured the UN with my class, which was really neat. My favorite part was standing in the security council room with my friend from Russia and talking about how we would one day fix all of the problems between Russia and the U.S.

With my Russian friend Valeria in the Security Council Room at the UN

On Memorial Bridge with my dad

This past weekend, besides running, I took my dad on a grand tour around DC and the surrounding areas. We saw the beautiful harbor in Alexandria, University of Maryland, and went to see President Obama lay the wreath on the tomb of the unknown solider at Arlington. Unfortunately, we got on the last bus and the motorcade come through early so they didn’t allow us to go. Having waited in line for 1.5 hours we were disappointed, however it was a beautiful day so we trekked across memorial bridge to Lincoln, Washington, and the Capitol. I’ve crossed a lot of bridges lately: The bridge to NYC, bridges while in NYC, a beautiful bridge in Delaware, the Woodrow Wilson bridge, and my ultimate favorite- the unnamed bridge that the yellow line metro crosses from L’enfant plaza to Pentagon which gives an amazing view of DC.

This weekend I am excited to have very few plans for the first time in a while, only church and giving a capitol tour on my radar. I think this can be seen as a true measure of my happiness here. While I love my adventures, sometimes I definitely need some down time, whereas I would have never allowed myself this time in the past. Yes, there are plenty of uncertainties in my future, but there’s no reason I can’t do my best to face them head on and trust that everything will work out as it’s supposed to. As I was talking to Mr. Dick’s 12 year old niece who speaks 3 languages and has lived in 4 countries (but DC is her favorite place J), I was thinking what an exciting life she has at a young age and she said you have a cool life full of adventures. And I thought, well you’re right, many parts have been rocky, but I’m lucky and the adversity makes me life’s adventures that much more.