From Racine, meet Wisconsin Rep Alex, Be Strong’s October 2019 Student of the Month!

Alex_Be the Change

“I found my inner strength within myself by being myself. I want my peers to do the same.” – Alex

 

 

 

Alex has been a Be Strong Student Rep since 2017 and has always possessed his own, unique swag.  Having tested way above his age level all his life, the bow-tie was a classy and studious, natural fit.

It’s not uncommon to be made fun of for being different. Alex was bullied for being intelligent. He wanted to take the negative perception away from the term nerd, and chose to turn it into something fashionable. At the age of nine, Alex created his own company, Build-A-Bow, making custom bow-ties, hair bows… even bark bows for the sharpest dressers on four legs.

Alex_Be StrongAlex is also a published author. He chose to share his story through a multicultural picture book, titled “Bullies, Bowties and Brilliant Alex.” He wrote the book with two goals in mind. It serves to encourage other young people to explore their inner-entrepreneurism, while bringing awareness to bullying and the need to treat each other with respect.

Alex is one of the most selfless people we’ve had the pleasure of working with. He uses proceeds from both his bow-ties and book sales to serve underprivileged children, as well as various awareness groups.

Like many of you, Alex just began a new school year. Within a couple of weeks, he had already found himself bullied on a few occasions for standing up for a classmate on the autism spectrum. Back to selflessness, he turned it around for everyone’s benefit.

A couple days after the latest incident, Alex hosted a kindness workshop in his community, highlighting empathy, support, and resilience. He also had the opportunity to speak with state legislators in Madison, Wisconsin. They discussed many avenues to bring additional support to Wisconsin youth impacted by bullying, mental wellness challenges, and drug abuse.

Alex_Kindness workshop

Click here to nominate your inspiring student for Be Strong’s Student State Representative program and We Dine Together initiative.

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