From Houston, meet Texas Student State Rep Theresa, Be Strong’s February 2019 Student of the Month!
“I live by the quote, ‘Be the person you needed when you felt alone.’ I sit here as the person I needed. I hope that by doing this, I can inspire people to see the beauty & uniqueness of adversity, & empower them to Be Strong.”
From where does your passion come? The word itself, ‘passion,’ derives from the Latin root ‘pati’ – which means ‘to suffer.’ Passion is what moves us to keep going, to persevere, despite pain, intimidation or fear. It is what motivates us to push through our suffering for the sake of reaching a specific goal.
Theresa, our February 2019 Student of the Month, consciously transforms her pain into passion. Like millions of young people, she found herself the target of extreme bullying & harassment. “I always used to tell my mom that someone needs to do something, someone needs to say something,” Theresa said. “She would say ‘you can be that person.’ I would get frustrated because I didn’t want to be that person. But then I finally decided enough is enough.”
She reluctantly joined Be Strong’s Student State Representative program to help make a difference in the Houston area and beyond. “One of the ways I choose to live my life is to never look down on somebody, unless you’re looking down on them to pick them up,” Theresa said. She became Be Strong’s first student representative from the Lone Star State to launch a We Dine Together initiative on campus… while enrolled in homeschooling.
In the wake of the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Theresa took action. Addressing the Conroe ISD school board, she shared, “I believe our actions and our words kill people. Our actions and our words spark people into picking up weapons.”
Theresa is a fierce advocate, not only within bullying prevention, but also actively engaged with friends in the diff-abilities community, volunteering with Special Angels of the Woodlands, We See Abilities and more.
To honor Theresa & support her efforts to positively impact the world, Mayor Turner of Houston announced that December 19th shall, from this point forward, be known as Theresa Lizbeth DeMayo Day. Congratulations Theresa!
From left to right: Dede DeMayo, Theresa DeMayo and Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, Texas following the commencement ceremony for Theresa Lizbeth DeMayo Day.
Click here to nominate your inspiring student for the Student State Rep program and We Dine Together initiative.
