I wrote a poem in 5th grade called "The Lonely Girl" that was about a girl who felt hopelessly alone, until one day, someone smiled at her and she felt she finally had a friend. I read this poem on stage with a man playing cello at the Bushnell Theater, and it was published in a book of other poems written by kids.

I remember once when I was in middle school I made about 10 neon poster boards emblazoned with quotes about peace and kindness. I walked around town with the posters and a staple gun in hand, and hung them up on busy intersection telephone poles. My hope and intention was that by just doing that one small thing, I could make someone driving by smile and feel less alone.

I was voted "class optimist" by my highschool classmates, and it's an honorable recognition I hadn't realized others saw in me. I'm not exactly sure what I did that made others see that, but my guess is that it was a serious of small, almost inconsequential things, that meant a lot over time. Small actions, with big impact.

I am passionate about slow fashion, small business, female empowerment and encouragement, HAES inclusivity, thrifting, and social justice. I cannot tackle all of these things on my own. But the small decisions I make, and WE make, all together can have huge impact.

My hope is that you being here sort of feels like a big neon poster that says "what you do, and who you are, matters" Because it's true.