05
2011
Perfection Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
Today's guest post is from our former summer intern and current Youth Council Member, Rasika Behl, who wanted to share an inspiring story about seeing past difference and celebrating people for who they are. Read more about Rasika at the end of the post!
“She's ‘a real sweetheart,’ well-liked, and incredibly spirited…someone who's a cheerleader, not necessarily in the conventional sense, but...always positive and filled with school spirit, an all-around great student, as well as a friend to and fan of her peers.”
Who is she? Mariah Slick, a high school senior who was just crowned homecoming queen in Azle, Texas, as described by her fellow students. What’s the big deal, you ask? Why is this homecoming queen special? Well, although Mariah seems just like any other teenager, there is one difference: she has Down’s Syndrome.
As much as I’d to pretend that Mariah and others like her are looked at no differently than any of the rest of us, or that having “special needs” changes nothing because we all should be treated and looked at equally, unfortunately, that is not always the case. In a world that places so much emphasis on perfection, be it physical appearance, academics, or behaving a certain way in order to fit in, people with “special needs” or those who are seen as “different” are often treated unfairly and rejected or isolated. I remember witnessing that myself in high school—certain students were unfairly picked on and mistreated because of some arbitrary “difference” that, looking back, seems so ridiculous now. I mean, we’re all different…isn’t that the whole point?
I’ve always been a firm believer of the idea that it is what’s on the inside that counts. I love this quote I found online inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King -- paraphrasing: I believe that what matters is “the content of your character…the ambitions that drive you…the goals that you set…the things that you laugh at and the words that you say. You are beautiful not for the shape of the vessel, but for the volume of the soul it carries.”
I guess that’s why Mariah’s story made me smile; for once, the focus was on the beauty of her good heart, the big smile on her face, and her shining personality. Never mind the fact that she’s also beautiful on the outside—for once, no one cared.
There’s so much pressure to be perfect in high school—perfect looks, perfect clothes, perfect grades…but what is perfection really? We all have this image of what we think we should be, but what if, cliché as it may sound, we just started truly accepting ourselves for who we are and calling that perfection? After all, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder…well, maybe so is perfection.
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Rasika is 23 years old, she grew up in Albuquerque, NM, and no matter where she goes, she will always be a Southwest girl at heart. She's a student at UC Berkeley doing her Master’s in Public Health in maternal and child health. Her interests are many, and they include mental health promotion in children and young adults, nutrition, and women’s rights. When she’s not out trying to save the world, she loves to read (huge Harry Potter fan!), dance, bake, cook, eat amazing food, watch movies, and listen to music. She is also a self-declared shopaholic. She got involved with ReachOut as a summer internship, and now, she is part of the Youth Council. She's excited to continue working with ReachOut to meet youth needs and to contribute to an organization that truly embodies the motto of ‘for the youth, by the youth.’
