I have grown alongside Happy Crew for the past four years of high school. Surrounded by laughter and what has come to be a family, Happy Crew has supported me through life, becoming one of my passions. As I became a leader in sophomore year I committed to being one of the many friendly faces that members would be trusting and learning alongside for the rest of high school. Over the years, I have learned of the values of Happy Crew and it is my desire to grow this organization and extend our family. It is my goal to spread the message of “You Matter, You Belong” to the thousands of teenagers within the Douglas County district. Through being a board member I would be able to pursue what I am most passionate about: growing Happy Crew and making highschoolers feel important. Through this opportunity I would be able to expand and exercise my skills in networking, public speaking, and advocacy. I would like to make an impact through Happy Crew and the best way I would be able to do that would be through serving on the board and bringing more awareness to Happy Crew, while working towards ending the stigma against mental health. Over the years I have advocated for the growth of Happy Crew, even advocating for the ARPA grant we received to build our coffee shop. In addition, I have attended multiple fundraisers and happy crew volunteer events over the years, while even applying for grants myself to raise money for happy crew. Last year, I applied to Happy Crew for the G2 pilot pen grant and spent hours handwriting a letter to the company for the chance to raise 100K for the organization. Through the board member opportunity I would be able to continue this passion of mine, only on a bigger scale.