I was fortunate enough to meet unequivocally one of the most selfless givers of our time. In September, I was volunteering for Action in Africa, when I saw a few people walking down the path. As they came closer, I saw that among them was one of my great heroes, the environmental icon, Dr. Jane Goodall. As she passed by she looked up at me. I was star-struck, but had a huge smile on my face and said, "Hi." Dr. Goodall smiled back, waved and said, "Hello." Just to engage with her for a brief moment was so powerful an experience, I walked away with tears in my eyes.
Dr. Goodall was in Aspen, Colorado, through ACES (Aspen Center for Environmental Studies). Meeting her was one of the most surreal moments I have ever experienced. She's my hero, and a role model for all of us. I aspire to not just preach about how to reduce ones carbon footprint and make positive change, but instead lead by my actions. Dr. Goodall is an example of this. She does everything with the intent of making our world better.
Often times, I will lose sight of my purpose in life, but seeing her speak made me remember that all I want to do is make the world a better place for future generations of all living things — people and animals. Dr. Goodall has a gentle and hopeful way of communicating, but one point that she made clear is how crucial it is to act now and to inspire others to do the same.
Leading by example and working to make change in one's community, despite age, is extremely important. I not only left her talk feeling more hopeful about what is being done to protect Earth, but I was also more inspired to put in the work and inspire other young people to do so, as well.
Dr. Goodall made it easy for me to decide what to do. At the end of her talk, Jane told ACES CEO, Chris Lane, that local youth should start a chapter of her non-profit, Roots and Shoots. The next day, I talked with my teachers about establishing a Roots and Shoots chapter in my home town and am happy to say that we're taking steps to get it going. Our plan is to learn from Roots and Shoots members all over the world — what has been successful and made an impact — and work with local students to address environmental issues and make a difference.
Seeing Dr. Jane Goodall in person and having a brief encounter with her was one of the greatest moments of my life. I want to thank her for the incredible work she has done, and for inspiring me and millions of others around the world to take action. I'll never forget the time Dr. Goodall looked at me, smiled, and said "Hello."
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