When I was in the sixth grade, I began an initiative called One World Card Co. What started as an assignment from my teacher quickly blossomed into much more as I created a business plan for a company set on helping those around me. I pitched the idea to my parents and grandparents, got enough money to cover the start-up cost of materials, and got to work. Over the span of a couple weeks, a group of six of my friends and I hand-made 100 birthday, get well soon and thank you cards. We sold these cards to families in our school and other people in our community. In the end, we raised over $300! Then, in Grade 7, we did this again but on a larger scale. I decided to focus on making only holiday-themed cards and reprinting a couple of designs instead of creating each one by hand. A family friend generously reprinted our card designs for free and we were able to raise $700. In the two years combined, my friends and I were able to raise over $1000! This was all sent with an organization which used the money to buy school and art supplies for children living in Rwanda, Africa. One World Card Co. kickstarted my passion for volunteering, community involvement, and youth empowerment.

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To top it all off, my friends Anna, Zack, Adam and I created a team and a presentation about One World Card Co. and entered it in an academic competition known as "Destination Imagination". Within our age group and category, we won regionally, provincially, came second nationally and had the opportunity to go to Knoxville, Tennessee to compete in the "Global Finals" with teams from all over the world.