Lehar Mishra – Empower And Help Student Ambassador 2020,2021.

Fourteen years old and a rising sophomore with endless energy and passion for ending world challenges, every task feels overwhelming. Yet, it was not until two years ago when I joined Empower and Help and immediately felt as if I was a part of a community that aspired to think globally and act locally. 

I had the opportunity to lead the COVID Relief movement for Empower and Help as people in India fight through an aggressive second wave of COVID-19 and breaking through all global records. As we still live through the fear of a worldwide pandemic, feeling helpless to see my family in India deeply impacted by the lack of proper medical care was disturbing. In less than 20 days, I organized an outreach through my local community and families to donate. I was also able to gain corporate matching donations from Apple and Google. 

Over the past two years, as part of the Remote Mentorship program, teaching students that are part of a refugee resettlement program. My classes focused on developing students’ confidence in STEM, English, Coding, pronunciation, and reading lessons. While insignificant, it felt personally gratifying to make a lasting educational difference in students’ lives despite geographic and socio-economic barriers. Moreover, it gave me a perspective that access to education around the world is a privilege.

The feeling of giving back was so immersive that I wanted to share that same feeling with others. Joining the Community Management and Social Media team for Empower and Help allowed me to create momentum raising awareness of various social topics like “Mental Health among students,” “Stopping Asian Hate,” “Saving the homeless,” Diversity Day. Our team doubled the increase in social follower growth from 1000 followers to 2300 followers in 2021.