This last January, with help from a great friend, Jackie Palmer and my Class of 2015 Senior Reps, I launched Be the Voice.  A campaign to help us all learn to love who we are, accept others and their differences and make a real impact in this world.  Since then I have been cultivating a program that I would like to implement in middle and high schools to help children work through their feelings towards themselves and others.  Give kids positive tools to accept their strengths and use them to help this world.  

While planning this program I came across so many obstacles that make us question who we are, and what we should look like and how we should act.  It's no secret that the media, and magazine world portray a certain look as being the most beautiful and many of us are left trying to figure out why we can't look like that, or act like that.  We are left with the feeling that we are not good enough.  I hate that feeling!  I believe we are all here on this earth for a reason, and we all have amazing gifts that we need to focus on and share those with the world.  

So after looking through resources and then seeing our news and magazines pushing a certain stereotype down our throat, I thought I would make a video about how we can "be real" and issue a challenge to others.  This is the "Be Real" Challenge.  Being a professional photographer I am trained at how to light and pose people to make them look their best in portraits.  And yes a make-up artist, hair stylist, and clothes stylist can make you look and feel like a million bucks but how do you feel when they are gone? When you hair is in a pony tail and you have no make up on. Do you still look in the mirror and love yourself? You should because you are amazing just how you are.  You are REAL and awesome.  My dream for each and every one who suffers with feelings of "not good enough" is to know you are beautiful.  I want you to be able to look in the mirror each night and be proud of the person looking back and that you are meant to do amazing things in this life.  

So join me. Take off the make-up, have some photos made, or get a group of friends together and take some fun photos of you all being real. Let us know what it means to you to Be Real and what obstacles you have overcome.  Post them on our Be the Voice 4 Change Facebook page and we will share them with the world.  You all can shine, just how you are.  

I took the challenge myself:)  Join me!