Meet Moksha, Be Strong’s National Student Volunteer Spotlight!
Moksha is a compassionate young person with a strong desire to give back to her community. Her school counselor recognized Moksha’s natural leadership skills and heart for helping others. Last October, she nominated Moksha to become a Be Strong Student Representative to further strengthen those skills and identify new ways to put them into action.
“Ever since I was a little girl,” Moksha recalled, “I have always felt the urge to help others around me. If someone was unhappy, I had to find a way to make them happy, or I would become upset as well. I have always desired for a community in which everyone felt welcome and cared for. I hated seeing people get bullied and would often try to stop it from happening. When I heard about Be Strong, I knew right away that I wanted to join.”
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, when students resumed in-person schooling, Moksha noticed many of her peers didn’t know how to start a conversation, much less a friendship. It was as if the mental and relational health strains they experienced during the shutdown caused their social lives to evaporate.
“That is when I realized that if students didn’t talk to their own friends, they were certainly not going to talk to their parents about troubles they are facing,” she said. “They would just bottle all their emotions up, which could lead to serious mental problems.”
Moksha understood the power of community and that having even a small friend group can have a huge impact on well-being.
Now, as a Be Strong Rep, Moksha is working to establish a peer impact group at her school where she can teach others the skills she develops at monthly Be Strong trainings. She’s confident that by working together, they can create a more caring, accepting environment.
Moksha encourages us all to, “In a world of darkness, be the light that guides everyone.”
Thank you, Moksha, for being a leader who steps in the gap and leads with purpose. You make Be Strong so much stronger!!
To learn more about Be Strong’s free programs, email getstarted@bestrong.org.
If you’re interested in joining the cause and supporting students like Moksha, click here to donate.
