Impacting Lives

@isabellaeliass

Have you ever thought about what impact you will leave behind? Many people dream of leaving a life-changing legacy on the world. However, they don't know where to begin to make this possible; they may feel restricted because of their age, ethnicity, gender, and many other factors. Nevertheless, in this day and age, many teenagers are using their voices and working to fight various global issues in order to transform our society.

Personally, one of my biggest aspirations in life has always been to leave a radical impact on other people's lives. I have learned that the beauty of life is being able to inspire and uplift those around us. Being able to give back and lend a helping hand to those in need has always made me extremely happy because it reminds me of the potential our actions have on other lives.

The desire to change people’s lives and be able to come together to bring happiness to them is why Loreine Mijares, Christie Lam, and I created United for Change. United for Change is a non-profit organization with the goal to motivate our generation to serve each other and their communities. We aspire to equip the youth with a variety of necessary skills to become future leaders in every aspect of their lives.

We are constantly working together, sharing ideas, and bringing our plans to life to help the environment and the less privileged in Panama City, Panama. Despite the challenges and difficulties the current COVID-19 pandemic has brought us, United For Change has been serving the community in various ways. So far we have created virtual English lessons for children who lack the luxury of attending virtual classes. The lessons are designed to be easily accessed from any device at any time to help these kids continue learning English. Additionally, we have assembled personal care kits for the homeless (these included hand sanitizer, facemasks, soap, pads, toilet paper, and encouragement messages). Lastly, we made encouragement letters for COVID-19 patients to help them during the difficult time they are facing away from their families.

As young leaders, our goal is to set the example and break the stigma of your age determining the impact you have. All you need is passion, discipline, and determination and you can do anything you wish to accomplish. Be sure to check out United for Change on Instagram @unitedforchange_ in order to learn more about their projects and participate in future events!