Alethea Harnish

​Interview with Zoe D’Angelo | Submitted by Alethea Harnish
Nomination & Photography by Marci & Christy Photography
Indiana

​The Nomination: 
Alethea is the daughter of friends of ours... we've known her since she was a little girl, but we’ve grown closer with her and gotten to know her much better since she was added to our MAC MOD SQUAD a couple years ago.  
 
Alethea has struggled through the years to find her place and her voice in this world, but through that struggle she has grown stronger and has shown to be massively intelligent for her age. When times were at their worst, she still put her best foot forward and followed her road to where she is today. She is one of the most open hearted and TRULY accepting teens I have ever come across. She speaks out frequently about bullying, and self-image... encouraging other girls to not be ashamed about their bodies, but to embrace themselves and be proud, which is so needed in society today.  
 
Her mother put it perfectly when posting some of her senior pics on her Insta...."She’s an individual blazing her own path in this world.” 
 
This year she was inducted as the President of Herron High School’s National Honor Society, at the top 5% of her class in a school that is the top 1% of the country. She also performed for a room full of respected professionals in the city in a one woman show that she wrote, directed, choreographed AND performed by herself- for an internship that she co-created for herself.  

1. What are some ways a person can enhance their confidence during their teen years?  

 Being a teenager can get hard sometimes, we all know it, but our teen years get so much better as we gain more and more confidence in ourselves. The end goal is to love yourself no matter what other people think of you... but it’s a lot easier to say that than it is to do it. I was lucky enough to find this confidence by joining my local youth theatre where I learned how to step out of my comfort zone, fall flat on my face, and get back up again. This isn’t the route for everyone (although you don’t have to be an actor to learn from a theatre class), but I did learn a few universal tips and tricks along the way: 
1. Remember that no person is worth any more or less than you are  
2. Free yourself from labels, you can be on the cheer squad AND in robotics club  
3. Don’t TRY to be popular, you’re cool no matter your social status  
4. Stop counting your likes and followers, you are SO MUCH MORE than your social media!  

3. What would you wish you would’ve known when you were younger? 
​
I would tell younger Alethea that it’s okay to not always fit in, and not to always have my best friend beside me. I had a rough time in middle school, and the beginning of high school. I didn’t know who I was or who I wanted to be. I spent lunches sitting on the bathroom floor because I was too scared to try and find a place to sit in the cafeteria. Since then, I have learned to be myself, and love myself no matter what!  

4. What is the best advice you can give another teen girl reading this?  

I think that the most important thing I have taken away from my 4 years in high school is that all the drama and hurt feelings aren’t worth it. Instead of pouring all your time and energy into social media or gossip, spend time reading an awesome book or creating a beautiful painting or practicing your free throw shot. You have been given this priceless experience to learn about whatever you want, so take advantage of it while you can!!

​This interview was published in Issue 15

---

Click here to purchase issue 15

Click here to nominate an inspiring teen you know

Click here to join inspiring teens