Inspiring Teens Magazine Features

Nicholas Kimble

1/22/2021

Nicholas Kimble – New Jersey
Photography by Marcel Milewski
Issue 42 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: Nicholas Kimble motivates and rallies others to make a positive, peaceful, and purposeful change in our society. Nicholas was a victim of several violent attacks by his non-African American classmates, which resulted in several visits to his pediatrician. Despite being bullied in middle school, Nicholas entered high school with the courage to motivate his classmates to be positive and peaceful people.
Nicholas Kimble encourages his classmates to become young civic scholars. As an executive member of Civic Wave and Edison Civic Change Collective, Nicholas educates students on American historical events such as voting rights, gender inequality, and racial discrimination.

Photography by Marcel Milewski

What led to your interest in motivating others to make such a fabulous change in society?
With encouragement from my family members, I decided not to allow my bullying experience to define who I am and who I wanted to become. When I began speaking about domestic and foreign issues, I discovered the power of my voice. As a result, I won countless awards for public speaking which gave me the confidence to become a community leader.

What efforts have you made to make your school environment a safer place?
The Student Safety Committee is an organization created to identify effective ways to keep students safe in school. The Student Safety Committee is a microcosm of a family. Every member in the community is valued and appreciated by each other. As president and founder of the Student Safety Committee, I oversee and facilitate meetings. With the creation of peer support groups, we have helped students find effective ways to maneuver within a crowded hallway, designed an action plan for dealing with an active shooter, and facilitated the creation of counselor-led wellness groups.

Tell us more about Civic Wave and Edison Civic Change Collective.
The Civic Wave and Edison Civic Change Collective are student-created organizations. I am the finance manager and founding member of Civic Wave. As a founding member of Civic Wave, I worked with elective officials to secure access to civic education within New Jersey public schools with legislative bills S854 and S237. I am the co-founder of Edison Civic Change Collective. As an advocate and seminar host, I educate members on the history of movements and activism triggered by local and global issues.

Photography by Marcel Milewski

Share with us about your civic education courses you created for public school students throughout the state of NJ.
After attending political events and local government meetings, I was approached by an elective official to assist with developing support for the implementation of S854 and S237, two New Jersey laws which require the provision of civics instruction in middle schools. The aforementioned laws mandate that each board of education must provide a course of study about the values and principles underlying the American system of constitutional democracy, the function and limitations of government, and the role of a citizen in a democratic society.

Where do you hope to go with all of this moving forward after you graduate?
After I graduate from high school, I will attend college and continue to be an advocate for change.

Look for Nicholas in issue 42 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information on issue 42

click here to nominate an inspiring teen

Charlotte Stant - Role Model

11/30/2020

Charlotte Stant - NJ
Inspire Team
Role Model - Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

Every time I look down at my computer, I see my Green New Deal sticker, reminding me of the most dire issue facing our world today: global warming. As an aspiring female policy maker, I have always identified with strong female legislators, and in particular those who have prioritized environmental issues in their leadership. As the face of the Green New Deal, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has had a significant impact on the lens through which I view these complex policy issues. I’ll never forget the first time I saw her speak during a congressional hearing on television: I was moved by her passion for solving the climate crisis.

Her commitment to environmental policy has inspired me to conduct independent research on the devastating impact of climate change. My research led me to join the Rumson Junior Green Team, run entirely by high school students, to educate the community about reducing carbon emissions. As a result of our lobbying, last month, our local borough enacted an anti-idling resolution which mandates the implementation of signage in the community.

In addition to AOC’s tireless dedication to environmental issues, she has made a commitment to learning multiple languages as a way to facilitate more efficient communication with her constituents, and to present more inclusive pieces of legislation. Knowing the impact of AOC’s work inspires me to continue my language studies as a way to be a more effective advocate for the underrepresented individuals in this country.

click here for more information on the Inspire Team

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Charlotte Stant

10/15/2020

Charlotte Stant – New Jersey
Interview by Inspiring Teens Team
Nomination and Photography by
Jenn Morris Photography
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: Three weeks into the quarantine, Charlotte Stant received a text from a local councilwoman explaining that there were immigrant families starving in Red Bank. Secondary to COVID exposure, these families were unable to access services provided by local food banks.
Charlotte made a flyer asking people to drop off food to her house. After delivering the inaugural meals to 25 families, she decided to apply for non-profit status. Since March, Charlotte and her 20 weekly teen volunteers have provided over 68,000 meals and served 56 families. Charlotte was also just named a Brawny Giant for her community service during the pandemic.

Photography by Jenn Morris Photography

Tell me about the text message that started this whole endeavor and where you went from there.
Risa Clay is a councilwoman and former principal of a local high school. When she discovered that there were families who needed assistance applying for a grant application and only spoke Spanish, she immediately texted me and asked me to help because she knew of my ability to speak the language. I started making phone calls to families to assist her in getting applications filled out.

How did you get everyone to help you so quickly and in such abundance when pretty much everything was shut down, and how it quickly started your nonprofi, Companeros?
I spent 5-8 hours a day working all the logistics out. Fundraising was the biggest challenge in the beginning, especially as the list of families who needed help kept growing. We created an Instagram account and made posts every week to involve the community. I also created a GoFundMe and asked others to post links on their Facebook accounts. I emailed my Spanish teacher who spread the word to the school and the Spanish Honor Society. The Key Club offered community service hours for each food donation given to Companeros. That was a great incentive since students had nowhere else to volunteer. As of this month we have served over 70,000 meals and assisted 74 families. The majority of the volunteers go to Rumson Fair Haven High School with me.

Photography by Jenn Morris Photography

What does it mean to be a Mobile Mexican Consulate?
The Mobile Mexican Consulate is an organization that assists Mexican citizens with filling out their US citizenship applications as well as applying for passports. I served as a translator for Consulate. I also helped fill out cards explaining what to do if they were to come into contact with ICE. Many of the community members were extremely fearful.

Photography by Jenn Morris Photography

Why did you want an internship with Senator Gopal, and how did you go about getting it? What are your primary responsibilities?
I am interested in the legislative process and the internship provided me with the perfect opportunity to deep dive into my passion for policy. I applied online and was interviewed before I was notified that I was accepted as an intern. Instead of finishing after the summer, I decided to continue my internship into the fall. Some of my primary responsibilities for the job include drafting social media posts for each of the legislators as well as conducting extensive policy research. I have also been tasked with drafting talking points for various bills to be presented in congressional hearings.

Photography by Jenn Morris Photography

Tell us more about your jobs as a dance instructor and certified yoga teacher! Both sound exciting!
I started teaching dance in the beginning of my junior year to marginalized children at my local Salvation Army. Sadly, COVID regulations have closed the dance program, but as soon as we are cleared to gather again, I will be the lead teacher. I absolutely love teaching kids and really was able to see the impact that dancing had on their character development and overall mood. I decided to pursue my 200 hour yoga teacher training the summer between my sophomore and junior years with Bodhi Yoga Academy.

Tell us about these Brawny Paper Towel Pictures.
In June, Lynette Sylvestri, a community member who was following the Instagram posts about my non-profit Compañeros de Comida, saw an ad from Brawny Paper Towels about a new campaign called “Giants Take Action”. According to senior director of brand building at Brawny, Katie Kolesky, “The Brawny Giants Initiative celebrates and supports the strength demonstrated by individuals who are taking action during the pandemic”. Ms. Sylvestri believed that I had the characteristics of a local hero.On July 22nd, I was notified that I was a finalist for the campaign. I was then called by a representative from Brawny who interviewed me about my mission, statistics and operational expenses. The next week, I was texted by the advertising agency Joan and informed that I was selected out of 7000 nominees, and that I would receive a $3000 grant for my non-profit as well as 900 Brawny paper towels to share with my families. I will also be featured in the Brawny Giant ad campaign through print, social media and television spots over the next two years.

Look for Charlotte in issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information on issue 39

click here to nominate an inspiring teen

Nicholas Kimble

Nicholas Kimble – New Jersey
Photography by Marcel Milewski
Issue 42 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Charlotte Stant - Role Model

Charlotte Stant - NJ
Inspire Team
Role Model - Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

Charlotte Stant

Charlotte Stant – New Jersey
Interview by Inspiring Teens Team
Nomination and Photography by
Jenn Morris Photography
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

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Nicholas Kimble

Nicholas Kimble – New JerseyPhotography by Marcel MilewskiIssue 42 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Charlotte Stant - Role Model

Charlotte Stant - NJInspire TeamRole Model - ​​Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

Charlotte Stant

Charlotte Stant – New JerseyInterview by Inspiring Teens TeamNomination and Photography by​Jenn Morris PhotographyIssue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine​

Featured

Archives

Categories

Nicholas Kimble – New Jersey
Photography by Marcel Milewski
Issue 42 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Charlotte Stant - NJ
Inspire Team
Role Model - Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

Charlotte Stant – New Jersey
Interview by Inspiring Teens Team
Nomination and Photography by
Jenn Morris Photography
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine