Nat Young

Nat Young – Montana
Nomination by Tammy Henson
Photography by TBarnes Photography
Issue 96 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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Nomination: Nat Young is a driven and compassionate individual who pours her heart into every goal she pursues. Her determination is matched by her kindness, as she embraces others with love, respect, and genuine acceptance.

Photography by TBarnes Photography

​What inspiring qualities or accomplishments weren’t highlighted in your nomination?
Music has been a part of my life since I was four, when I first sat down at a piano. From there, I discovered new instruments like the viola in middle school, then teaching myself ukulele and guitar, and finally joining choir as a senior. Since sophomore year, I’ve played in my school's top audition-based orchestra and competed on the varsity speech team since freshman year. My love for performing led me to theater, where I found my voice on stage. Through it all, I’ve faced and overcome the challenges of seven concussions, learning resilience and passion in every performance.

What else would you like to talk about?
Leadership has always been a huge part of my life, especially through my work as a camp counselor. I’ve gone to camp since I was seven, and ever since all I wanted was to be a counselor and make an impact in kids lives like my counselors did for me. At 14, I participated in the Rising Leaders program at Flathead Lake United Methodist Camp which is a counselor-in-training program. This coming summer, I’ll be working with a children's grief camp, supporting kids through healing and hope. Beyond camp, I serve as an executive in my school’s freshman mentoring program.

What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
Something I could talk about all day is love. It is something that is so well known on the surface but has so many layers underneath that.. It’s something that humans and animals alike yearn for. I'm especially interested in the Greek concept of the seven types of love. It reveals how love goes far beyond romance. It's friendship, family, passion, compassion, and more. It isn’t just something talked about in fairytales, it's a powerful force wired into our brains, shaping how we live. It’s unique from person to person. No one person has the same idea of love.

How did you find your photographer and what did you love most about the experience?
I found her through Instagram mainly after seeing my friends get their photos done with her. I then learned she is a business teacher at my school and I knew who she was all along. What I loved most about working with her is how welcoming she was and how supportive and lighthearted our session was. I was able to be myself while also joking and laughing my way through our shoot. I got pictures that made me feel beautiful and highlighted the things I love to do.

What is a favorite memory with or thoughts of the person who nominated you?
I would say that my favorite memory with my mom was during a round at one of my speech tournaments this last year. My speech was about death with dignity and started with the song Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks. I looked up as I was singing and she was in tears. That was the first time I had ever sang in front of my mom and she made me feel so proud of myself. Performing was something I was very scared of but since I started to be more outgoing and I have never felt more myself.

Why do you want to be in Inspiring Teens Magazine?
Ever since I was a little girl all I wanted was to be someone that others called a role model. It is something that is put into our heads starting at such a young age. Now I hear, “Be the change that you want to see.” Although being in this magazine isn’t going to change the world, it could inspire someone to push through adversity and follow their heart. I have a younger brother and sister and I hope that I can show them that being themselves and loving who you are is the most important thing.

If you win a scholarship, what will you do with the money?
While the practical answer would be to put the money toward my education, right now I’d use it to invest in a new viola. I’ve been playing the same instrument for several years, and it’s time to upgrade to a larger, higher quality one that matches how much I’ve grown as a musician. Music has always been the heart of who I am, and the one constant through every season of life. Being able to afford a better viola wouldn’t just improve my sound, it would help me continue growing in my musicianship and love for the art of music.

You’ve explored so many instruments and styles over the years — what does music mean to you personally, and how has it shaped who you are?
Music is what lights up the world and gives it life. It's the rhythm that keeps our hearts beating, making us all a little happier. For me music isn’t just something I listen to, it's a part of me. It's such a fundamental part of my life and has a huge place in my heart as well as who I am. Music has been something that is always there, from waking up to it in the morning, driving to school, in class doing assignments, to going to sleep at night, it is always there. Music makes the world go round.

After experiencing seven concussions, what helped you stay motivated to keep performing and pursuing your passions?
One of the biggest things that has helped me stay motivated has been the support I have from everyone around me. Through all of the activities I do I have met so many wonderful people that have made me feel less alone in my struggle with my concussions. Any injury, especially brain injuries can take a massive toll on your mental health and so having people to help me has been such a wonderful blessing. They have helped me build myself back up as well as grow through these challenges to become who I am today.

What have you learned about resilience and patience through your journey in music, speech, and theater?
There are people who are naturally good at things and people who work hard to become good. For me music was something that has been a part of me from the beginning. Speech and theatre however were not. I have had to work very hard throughout my high school years to become good at them and it took a lot of failed attempts to get there. Patience and resilience are a virtue. Failing many times has taught me that just because I fail doesn’t mean I quit , it means I work until I get where I want to be.

You’ve spent years at camp both as a camper and now as a counselor—what makes that environment so special to you?
It is where I feel the most myself. Every school year is like a countdown to camp. Don’t get me wrong I have many spaces outside of it where I can be myself but it’s a lot harder. There I know I am free to be who I am without judgment and people will love me. It took me a while to realize this. When I first went I remember one of my counselors said that I had an assertive personality. As the years go on I become more and more my true self and love who I am.

How has your experience in the Rising Leaders program influenced the way you approach leadership and mentoring others?
It has shown me that being a leader comes in so many forms. A leader isn’t just the person who stands up and tells everyone what to do. It’s the people who do the things that need to be done without the need to be validated, quiet and unseen. This can go unnoticed though and people don't realize because they don’t fit into the box of “what a leader looks like.” Silent leadership is so important and keeps everything running smoothly. All types of leaders are needed but it showed me that I don’t always have to be the loudest.

You’ll be working at a children’s grief camp soon—what inspired you to take on that role, and what do you hope to bring to the kids you’ll be helping?
Grief is very complex and is something that is hard even for adults to process and so for a kid to have something big like the loss of a loved one or sibling can be very hard to comprehend. I was inspired to take on this role because of my love for helping others and being someone they can come to for anything as well as one of my closest friends and huge role model for me has done it and told me I would be a wonderful fit there. I hope to be the support these kids need.

You mentioned being fascinated by the many forms of love—how do you see that understanding influencing the way you connect with others?
Life can be daunting so being able to spread love to everyone around me makes it a little easier to manage the difficult times. No matter how good or bad a person is they deserve to be loved no matter what. Love is a basic human need that we spend our lives seeking. Love isn’t just romantic, platonic, or familial it has lots of layers to it. For me, being able to show love to others helps me connect with them on a deeper level. It fills my heart with joy when I can spread love to others.

What message would you share with other teens about finding strength, purpose, and compassion through challenges?
Find the people you can be yourself around. The more love you have for yourself the easier it is to find people who love the real you. Spending your life trying to be someone everyone likes is only going to make it harder to like who you are and that's what's most important. We are all on some rock floating around in space so why not be kind and take risks. The answer will always be no until you try.

What is your ideal dream job if it were offered to you today?
I would absolutely love to be a physical therapist and earn my doctorate in physical therapy, or become a pediatric occupational therapist. I love being able to help people and I myself have had to do physical therapy quite a bit and so being able to help people in the way that I’ve been helped would be so fulfilling. Also, this would keep me active and not stick me behind a desk all day. Injuries can cause so much strain on the person's mental health so being able to get them back to doing life normally would be so rewarding.

Is there anyone you'd like to thank for helping you to get where you are today?
I would love to thank my parents for always supporting my dreams and aspirations and allowing me to be who I am without holding me back. Along with that I would like to thank all of my current friends as well as the ones that I’ve had throughout the different times in my life. Each one has molded who I am today. People come and go throughout life, but the impact they have had on my life stays forever, and I will always be grateful for the experiences I have had with each of them.

What is the hardest thing you have ever accomplished, and how did you do it?
My freshman year I played volleyball and was on track to also play basketball at my high school. At the end of volleyball season I got my first concussion and was in turn unable to try out for basketball. I have been playing basketball and volleyball since kindergarten. As the year went on, I had gotten up to three concussions and so I had to make the very hard decision to quit the sports I loved. This ended up leading me to speech and debate my freshman year where I became one of three Freshman on varsity going to state.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years/what are your plans?
I hope to be most of the way through getting my Doctorate of Physical Therapy, play in a community orchestra as well as participate in community theatre. I also would love to be on track to have a good amount of money in savings for whatever the future holds for me.

3 Things on your bucket list
1. Be on Broadway or another professional theatre company
2. Be part of a professional symphony
3. Travel the world

Who do you find inspiring?
Someone who I find inspiring is my Grandma Tammy. She has always been a hard worker and does her best for everyone. When my little cousin was born in 2016 my aunt was not in the right place to be a mother due to struggles with addiction and mental health. Since then my grandmother has taken on full guardianship of her. This has been extremely hard for her because her kids are already grown and have kids of their own. She has been a phenomenal role model and puts everyone else's needs before herself. I am so proud of her.

Look for Nat in issue 96 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!
*Interviews are not edited after received from our inspiring teens - what you read is who they genuinely are!

click here for more information on issue 96

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