Vote for Kelsey Dillon for our Issue 98 Scholarship & Cover Winner! (Thanks for your donation!)
Please also visit InspiringTeens.com/98 for more details on what this teen could win with your help!
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Kelsey Dillon– OH
Nomination & Photography by Capture Life Photography by Davinda
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Nomination: Kelsey Dillon embodies true grit, grace, and—most importantly—intention. She pours love, encouragement, and positivity into everyone around her. Kelsey has also learned to pour that same love back into herself—a strength earned through some of her hardest moments. Her determination to persevere—and keep lifting others—is what makes her genuinely inspiring.
What inspiring qualities or accomplishments weren’t highlighted in your nomination?
When I was nine, I was diagnosed with a chronic pain disorder called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in my shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands. At that time, I was a competitive gymnast. One of the first things you’re told when diagnosed with CRPS is to keep moving, so when gymnastics was no longer possible, I redirected my passion and became a dancer. After an accident last year caused CRPS to develop in my back, I now face even greater challenges, but I will never stop moving forward.
What else would you like to talk about? Current goals and projects you're working on are always interesting!
This year, I established a Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club at my school. I’ve always been an advocate for kindness, and being in my senior year, I wanted to leave something bigger than me behind when I graduate. SAVE Promise Club is a program from the Sandy Hook Promise, and its goal is to spread kindness and create a positive and welcoming school environment. Through this club, we’re building a school that encourages inclusion, peer support, and awareness, while empowering students to look out for one another and use their voices to create positive change.
What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
I am endlessly passionate about occupational therapy (OT) because it truly gave me my independence back. When I was first diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), I had lost the ability to do many of my daily activities by myself - I wasn’t even opening doors. By the time I had finished OT, I was functioning almost normally. I can even go bowling or rock climbing now. Occupational therapy gave me my life back, and I’ve realized that I want to do that for others who are struggling. I plan to pursue a career in OT when I graduate.
How did you find your photographer and what did you love most about the experience?
My photographer is Davinda Baldasare. She owns Capture Life Photography, and I first met her when I was about ten years old. My mom wanted to get pictures of my sister and I, and Davinda was the perfect match. When I got into high school, I joined her Teen Team. Throughout high school, Davinda digitally documented my growth, and I think that’s my favorite thing about our relationship. Davinda has captured my growth from the time I was in elementary school, to now, when I’m getting ready to graduate High School.
What is a favorite memory with or thoughts of the person who nominated you?
My photographer, Davinda Baldasare, nominated me, and I’ve known her for many years. Davinda was the photographer who took my senior pictures, and when my family was at my image reveal, my mom recalled something that I said earlier this year. I had said, “Davinda takes pictures of me the way that I see myself.” Nobody else captures me quite like Davinda does. In our sessions, she brings out my personality, and it really shows in the pictures she takes of me.
Why do you want to be in Inspiring Teens Magazine?
I want to be in Inspiring Teens Magazine to share my story in hopes that it encourages other teens facing challenges to keep going. Living with chronic pain has taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of kindness - lessons that I want others to see reflected in themselves. Being in Inspiring Teens Magazine would allow me to use my voice to inspire confidence, perseverance, and hope, while also showing that setbacks do NOT define you. I want to remind others that they are capable of more than they think.
If you win a scholarship, what will you do with the money?
If I win a scholarship, I will use the money to help fund my education in occupational therapy. It would ease the financial burden of tuition, textbooks, and living expenses, allowing me to focus fully on my learning. This scholarship would not only support my academic goals but also help me continue my journey toward becoming an occupational therapist who empowers others to regain independence and confidence.
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Inspiring Teens is one of our "by teens for teens" productions to celebrate teens doing amazing things with their lives – such as the teen listed above!
Each vote is $5.00 and goes towards our scholarships, magazine production, and other fun stuff that are included for the teens who participate in our fundraising and magazine endeavors. It also goes towards nonprofits and teen sponsored events as our extra profits allow.
We have given away nearly 200k in scholarships & over $100k to non-profits!
Thank you for helping us help them out!
* Teens must be between ages 13-19 and live in the continental USA to win a scholarship. Teens cannot win more than $1000 in a year's time.