Carolyn has been my “Little” for the past six years. It has been my pleasure to watch her grow into a delightful, caring, confident and compassionate person. She is quick with a smile and always reaches out to others to make them feel comfortable. I think Carolyn will succeed in college and in life because she has a positive, can-do attitude and is willing to put in the time and effort it takes to achieve her goals.
Hello! My name is Carolyn and I recently graduated from high school this past semester. Next year I will be attending Indiana University to study accounting. During my time in high school, I participated in cross country, ran half marathons, was in a business club, worked, and volunteered. I thoroughly enjoyed my high school career, but with it came many challenges.
Like most teenagers, growing up in the current time has been an immense struggle. The current political climate, the coronavirus, and how our society works have all contributed to the poor mental health of the children of today’s society. This past weekend unfortunately a young woman in my grade took her own life. It hurts to know that there are many other people who feel the same way she did. The world we are surrounded by right now has left many feeling lost, alone, and helpless. I know I personally struggled with feeling connected to other people during this past school year. Depression and anxiety have increased rapidly over the past year. Something that I personally think has contributed to that is social media.
Instagram and other social networking sites like it encourage a mentality of comparison. Social media is where people show all of the best parts of their lives, and it is easy to portray things in an inaccurate way. We see posts of people who have big friend groups, lots of smiles, and expensive things. We decide our own worth based on the number of likes and comments we get. We look at other people and compare them to ourselves. Social media is a lie. I cannot help but wonder if the woman in my grade who took her own life had looked at social media before and saw everyone’s perfect lives and felt alone. There are so many people out there right now that are struggling with their mental health. Social media can be used for amazing things, but it can also be a toxic tool that everyone must be careful with.
Carolyn
Age 18
Strada Education Network Big Potential Award Recipient
BBBSCI Class of 2021
