Changing Lives One Smile at a Time by Maia

Changing Lives One Smile at a Time by Maia - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

Whenever you think of what made a day "good" or "bad", what things do you immediately think of? For some, it may have been a great grade on a test or a yummy snack at lunch. While this may be the truth for a small number of days, compliments, smiles, and generosity are far more important.
Many people have had one compliment that they hold onto for the majority of their life. Let it be that someone loves the texture of their hair or if someone said that yellow is really your color, compliments have an ability to change your life. As we all know, High School is one of the most stressful periods of one's life. The stress and hormone levels are so extreme, and mental health has become a growing concern for today's youth. By giving and receiving compliments, one's positivity and overall happiness can skyrocket. This is only increased by the sincerity of the compliments. Personally, I try my hardest to tell people what their best attributes are. Congratulating, flattery and positivity are, in my eyes, one of the only ways to help High School students today with their mental states.
Smiling is one of the first learned human gestures. Babies learn how to smile before they are two months old, and continue to do so to show happiness. Whenever someone smiles at you, personally, dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin get released into someone's brain, which makes the receiver feel loved and accepted. While many people learn this in basic biology classes, we seem to forget it. School is centered on interpersonal communication, but many of us forget to spread happiness. So many students nowadays forget that a key component of being happy is making others feel the same. You can't know personally what others go through on their own, but it can improve someone's day so very much to simply smile. Whenever I walk down the hallways or talk to people, I try to remember to smile. While it may be a simple gesture, it is a very important one.
Finally, generosity is an amazing trait to have. Giving what you are able to show others that you care about them. Whether it is gifts, money, or even just little acts of kindness, generosity can change the course of one's day. Whenever I am able to bake, I always bring some snacks for my friends to indulge in during lunch. This, of course, tastes good, but it also establishes the fact that I care about them and think about my friends after school is over. Whenever a holiday, such as Thanksgiving, is soon, I bring my friends small gifts or crafts to further prove this point. It is so easy to do small actions of kindness, but again, this has largely fallen out of our society, especially with teens.
I use all three of these components in my daily school life. On top of what is stated above, I bake cakes for my friend's birthdays, help others with their schoolwork and congratulate them when they are successful, and smile at new students when they come into school for their first day. On top of this, I try to advocate for mental health awareness in school. Whether it is talking to teachers to ease the stress of students or helping others with their workload, I try my hardest in little ways to help the student body of my school.