Introduction?

All day, everyday, my mind explodes with interest and curiosity of the world around me. I ponder why the world is the way it is, and how one can change it, or if it is even possible to change, if it is enough for one person to pursue their passion and change their little slice of the world, yet is it too much for one person to want to change the entire world? Is saying you’re changing the world or the community around you by doing what you love and have an interest in simply an excuse or an easy way to say you changed the world? I got a little sidetracked, but I have so many questions that I don’t know the answers to, or if there are any answers at all, so I thought I’d share my thoughts to not only invoke curiosity in others, but also because I feel almost guilty keeping my thoughts to myself, and I am one of those people who still want to change the world. I hope that the one or ten of you who read this find some inspiration. Here’s one of my favorite thoughts to finish off:

“Be the person you are when you’re around your grandma, but all the time”

As for a little bit about myself, I recently graduated high school in the International Baccalaureate program, during which I wrote an extended essay and completed an experiment to test the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain and cognitive activity and used that data to present to the district board and meet with our principal to try and change high school start times. I also completed a project to fill and distribute 300 bags of feminine hygiene products to women in need, and was the CSF president, in MUN, NHS, and soccer. The only reason I share this information is so that you can know where I’m coming from and who I am when you read my posts, and to know that I truly care about others and about healthy living. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy.

DACA

In light of the recent changes to our country’s immigration policy and to what I believe as part of America’s heart, I figured I would share my thoughts and my message to our senators. I fully support DACA and am truly amazed at the opportunities it has provided for so many Americans, and it hurts to even think about the results of this new decision. Although I’m sure that many of most of you are also appalled and saddened by this decision, I encourage you to keep your heads up. Hold onto the hope that Trump overturned this due to police pressure and not because of his beliefs, hold onto the hope that congress could come up with something new to protect you and your friends, and hold onto the hope the world is still a good place and that the good people in it will outweigh the bad and will keep fighting to make sure we stick true to our values and hold onto everything we can.

“Although I am very proud and happy to live in the United States and so very fortunate for everything I have and am able to achieve, I wish I could say that everyone had equal opportunities and could have equal chances of success, dependent on their own hard work or lack there of and not on others. Sadly, for me, the thing holding me back is money. I worked hard, came in third rank in my class, had a 4.8 gap out of 4.0 and was active in my community and school, yet I was not able to get financial aid for college so no matter what my goals are, I will always have the burden of student loans, possibly preventing me from even attending graduate school, and dealing the with the emotional and psychological effects as well. But, that is not my main point of writing you today. Others are not able to even have the chance to go to school or take out loans. They are good people who deserve the chance to advocate for themselves and work hard for their family and to help the United States economy and community. Without the immigrants, we would not be where we are today, economically or socially, and I truly believe that if DACA is stopped, our world will change. Not only will we lose or status as a Hegemon, but we will lose the invisible thread linking us all together, the thread, the hope, that comes from those people who still believe in the better good, that the American Dream exists, that America is their home, that everyone has the opportunity for success, that something can come out of nothing, and if we don’t have the dreamers, then what are? How can we go on everyday acting as if everything’s okay? How can we live with ourselves if others don’t have a chance to? How?

Thank you so much for your time and consideration,

Kylie Olsen”