If you need a reminder about just how far a little bit of kindness can go, look no further than this 8-year-old in Wilmington.
Ariyana Kurpad, a student at Wilmington Montessori School, is one of seven finalists in this year’s National Kindness Speech Contest.
The annual contest is open to children ages 5-18 years old and requires each person to write and perform a two-minute speech about kindness.
This year, over 80 submissions were received and judged by educators, industry experts and some of the top youth speakers across the country. Now, the winner among the seven finalists will be voted on by America.
“I want people to learn to understand that you’re never too young to be kind. And you should always enjoy being kind,” said Kurpad. “And through your small acts of kindness, you can make a big impact on the world. Kindness comes from the heart and you never need permission to be kind.”
Kurpad says it feels “really good” to be a finalist and she is looking forward to helping other people be kind.
“I’m definitely very proud of her. She worked very hard on this,” said Sarina Pasricha, Kurpad’s mother.
Kurpad heard about the contest after her class learned about the 2020 winner, Orion Jean, 10, and his selection as TIME’s 2021 Kid of the Year.
Her submission video outlined the acronym “CARE” which she created for the video. It stands for C-community, A-actions with affection, R – respect for different people and ideas, E – encouragement and excitement. All are ways she believes we can spread small acts of kindness in our daily lives.
She also drew inspiration from historical figure Mahatma Gandhi and his famous advice about being the change we wish to see in the world.
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First place wins $500 to spend on a Kindness Project of their choice, with second place receiving $250 and third place receiving $100. Each winner will also be featured on the Think Kindness homepage and receive a trophy.
If Kurpad wins, she plans to use the prize earnings to buy school supplies such as backpacks, colored pencils and crayons, for those in need or children in hospitals.
To go along with the backpacks, she has already started making friendship bracelets that will be donated along with the school supplies so people can decorate their bags with them or wear them.
“We should be kind because it’s a good feeling and then other people wanna be kind. It’s like a ripple effect. […] And it’s a really great feeling,” said Kurpad.
To cast your vote for Ariyana visit her submission page. You can vote every 24 hours until Friday, June 17, when voting closes.
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