Kylie+R’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016

I challenge you to SMILE:)
I challenge you to smile. I challenge you to smile when you wake up in the morning and see the birds outside your window. I challenge you to smile when you greet your friends in the morning before school. I challenge you to smile when your dog comes and greets you each time you come home.

When I reflect on my life 50, 60, 70 years from now, I want to be truly happy with what choices I made and how I influenced those around me. I want to remember my life and smile:) Recently I have started volunteering at 4 organizations that help different aspects of society: Aegis Assisted Living Center, The Channel Islands National Park Volunteer Center, Harbor Community Church, and a local veterinarian business in Santa Paula. These clinics have helped me to appreciate the opportunities that are available to people, and opened my eyes to the benefits the community can gain from volunteer work. Volunteering has provided me with a chance to give meaning to my life and spend my free time in the best way possible.

Too often teenagers get wrapped up in insignificant sidetracks and end up spending hours online scrolling through feeds or watching TV. If you had asked me a year ago how I spent my Saturday evenings, I would have simply responded like any other ordinary teenager: “Hanging out with friends, studying for upcoming tests, or relaxing and watching my favorite show on Netflix.” However, when I am old and reminiscing about everything I accomplished during my spare time, I definitely don't want to recall all the opportunities I wasted with superficial pastimes. We waste time online when we should be working on upcoming projects or benefitting society in some shape or another; whether that simply be helping your mom with a few simple chores or going outside and handing out sack lunches to people who might not otherwise had a meal. So put down the phone and smile. Momentarily forgetting yourself allows you to experience the humbling perks of giving to others. Next time you find yourself with a few minutes of free time offer to help around the house, i'm sure that will make your mom smile:)

Too often people forget to cherish the gifts they are given. Family, friends, growing up in a healthy environment. Americans take such privileges for granted. They overlook simple items such as a warm bed or a meal three times a day and they come to assume these things will always be there for them.

Volunteering with homeless people has allowed me to see that they are the most appreciative people I know. The harbor community church serves breakfast and lunch to homeless people in ventura county and provides a worship center and housing for some of the men and woman in the area. After each meal they give back to the staff by cleaning up and thanking all the volunteers individually for giving up their time to serve them. When I volunteer at the Harbor Church I have the opportunity to chat with some of the members and I have come to realize how appreciative and happy some of the people are. They are selfless and take the simple joys in life and try to smile as often as they can.

How often do you walk down the street too preoccupied with your own concerns to notice everyone around you. People, especially teenagers, are wrapped up in their own stressful social and academic lives that they often forget to take a breather and look around. By pausing once a day while driving along the PCH to glance out at the islands or when pursuing through the grocery store, you allow yourself to enjoy the simple actions in life. Working the The Channel Islands National Park Center has provided me with the ability to soak in the beauty that lays with 100 miles of home. We are able to visit the ventura coastline, various hiking trails around the city, and numerous landmarks all in the same day. So go outside and actually do something! Don’t wait around inside, I challenge you to smile throughout the day and give thanks for the small victories you encounter.

Too often we get caught up in materialistic items that have no real value. When we mature into our older years, those items won’t matter as much. You hardly ever see an 80 year old woman taking a selfie with her new _______. Its ridiculous. Society needs to take a step back and truly appreciate what’s important in life: Family. Friends. And Time. We all want a little more time. More time to study. More time with friends. More time to accomplish our goals in life. So go outside. Use the time you’re given wisely so when you’ve reached the end of your life, you look back with happiness and a overall feeling of contentment. Volunteer for an organization that sparks your interests. Go apply for the job you’ve been prolonging for months. Go make someone smile.

I want to live in an America that appreciates the time they are given and uses what they have to benefit the greater good. I want to live in an America that values community service and random acts of kindness. I want you to appreciate the little things in life that offer a sense of joy. I want to live in an America that smiles.

So wake up tomorrow and…smile:)