What it Means to Care

By: Mary Hackett, High School Principal
October 11, 2018

Ashley Segura is a senior at Inwood Academy. She is passionate about writing, art, and music. We asked her if she would give a welcoming address to all students and faculty at Student Leadership Day on October 4th. The following is her address to our student body about what it means to care, show care, see and be seen.

This is hard for me to stand in front of you and speak, to a room full of people. It’s hard for me.

Life is a series of experiences, phenomenal, great, good, and sometimes bad.
Our dedication and emotion to these experiences make us human.
The way we care about each other when going through days, harder than usual.
The way your experiences are probably shaped by at least someone in this room.
Make us human.

We all come from a tough circumstance that leaves us angry, and instead of facing this anger – we let it rot, and boil. When you leave a pot of water on the stove and stop watching it, eventually it boils over.
This is the same with anger- and instead of letting it out, we lash out- not personally have any problems with those we’re lashing out at, but we don’t know what else to do.
It is a toxic cycle of normality for the majority of us in this room.
The same cycle of us that aren’t practicing self love. Self care.

The only one that can change you, is you.
Love yourself- even when you feel like you shouldn’t.
Treat others the way you feel they should be loved.
Beyond anything, care.
Care for those in this room, who have just joined your journey or have guided you since the beginning.
Care for you, the strongest person you should know from here on out.
The truth is, I don’t expect anyone to leave completely changed – I do expect you to leave with the sense that if you’re not there, you’ll get there.