Let's Honor This Amazing Kid--Cristina Lara.

Hold on, folks! We've got an Amazing Kid! Take heed of 16 year old Cristina Lara from Fair Lawn, NJ. Cristina has been politically active throughout her high schoolcareer. "I used to envisi

Hold on, folks! We've got an Amazing Kid! Take heed of 16 year old Cristina Lara from Fair Lawn, NJ.

Cristina has been politically active throughout her high school career. "I used to envision myself as Cristina Lara, Attorney at Law--to fit my grandparents dreams. Or maybe, Dr. Cristina Lara--to suit my parent's desires. But Cristina Lara, the community organizer? It just didn't fit my expectations."

Now, the Executive Director of Cristina Lara, Inc., she's one of the most prominent social activists in her community. She won the Brave Nation Young Activist Award this past summer. And, most amazingly, she founded her own nonprofit organization that aims to achieve social/political/economic justice.

 Cristina Lara, Inc. is launching two campaigns this year: (sex)uality, and Abolish the B Word. The (sex)uality campaign will call for reproductive justice; the Abolish the B Word campaign will confront the music industry and demand respect for all women. This includes prohibiting the use of the "B" word to label women in today's rap music. This nonprofit organization will pool in some of America's best youth activists and train them how to effectively advocate for these campaigns. For example, an activist who attends the (sex)uality conference will be known as a "(sexuality) Advocate" for his/her community.

Cristina Lara, Inc. not only hosts these conferences but pays for them entirely!

"I've been writing grant proposals left and right," the young activist says. "But I mean, if I want to bring young people to gather in DC, then I can't expect them to pay. It wouldn't be fair!"

When asked about how she started Cristina Lara, Inc., Cristina replied, "I've been discussing it with my parents for a really long time. But the days kept turning into weeks, and weeks into months. When I was taking a late-night shower, I realized that I can't expect other people to do things for me. So when I got out of the shower, went online [the internet], yanked out my debit card, and within an hour, LegalZoom was processing my order for non-profit status. It didn't hit me until the next day, when my balance was several hundred dollars lower than before! But I definitely don't regret it. I'm going to expand Cristina Lara, Inc. as much as possible."

So, fellow Americans, don't lose hope just yet! If a 16 year old can grasp the concept of "social justice", then what does that tell you about the youth population? There is hope afterall.

You can visit Cristina Lara, Inc. at www.cristinalara.com. To sponsor, award, or provide grants, contact info@cristinalara.com.

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