MEET OUR AMBASSADORS

Krysten Moore

National Youth Ambassador
Love Our Children USA™ and STOMP Out Bullying™

Born and raised in New Jersey, Krysten Moore is a 21 year old senior at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, pursuing a career in Computer and Electrical Engineering where she is the last remaining female in the Class of 2012. 

Krysten has completed over 8,000 hours of community service and is the recipient of “The President’s Call to Service” Lifetime Volunteer Service Award; an Honorable Mention Recipient of the “2007 Nestlé’s Very Best in Youth” Awards; and was named as one of Next Step Magazine’s “2008 Super Teens of New Jersey”.  

Currently, Krysten holds the title of “Miss Bergen County” which allows her to compete for “Miss New Jersey” in June 2012.  Her platform is “The Education and Prevention of Childhood Bullying”

Through her middle school experience, she was bullied by two boys who first decided to use their words as weapons against her. The cafeteria became a battlefield as horrific remarks like "Krysten wants MOORE food" and “Move it whale” were shot her way; then lockers soon became landing pads as she was shoved in the hall.  Their words stung as if she was the recipient of a left hook to the right eye. At the age of eleven, Krysten realized the power of vocabulary… be it positive or negative.

As if in-school bullying wasn't enough to terrify her; Krysten’s middle school bullies took it to the next level and became inescapable when they moved beyond the school grounds to the privacy of her own home. The attacks that had once subsided with the ringing of the final bell at 3:00 pm suddenly turned into people posing online as a boy who liked her, only to make fun of our conversation the next day in school.  Websites were created posting false and crude remarks about her, slowly diminishing her confidence.

Determined to take a stand, Krysten adopted some very powerful words of her own.  Her words are not intended to cause harm but rather to inspire.  As the National Youth Ambassador for Love Our Children USA™ and STOMP Out Bullying™ Krysten has visited numerous elementary and middle schools speaking first hand about the negative effects of bullying. 

She had the honor of being a guest speaker at the 2007 Third Annual New York State Cyber Security Awareness Conference on behalf of STOMP Out Bullying™; the 2008 Second Annual Junior League of Bergen County StarPower event and the 2012 Victoria Secret Fashion Show Premiere Party to benefit STOMP Out Bullying™.  Krysten also appeared on The Rachael Ray Show and the CBS Early Show with STOMP Out Bullying™ Founder and CEO Ross Ellis.

In her junior year of high school (2006-2007), she founded SHINE, (Students Helping Instill New Esteem) an in school program allowing other students to join her in educating children as young as kindergarten. In 2007 SHINE was chosen as one of the top 100 new organizations by the Case Foundation.  Its goal is to impart on children the same importance to be considerate and respectful as we do for them to be great athletes.  Encouraging the understanding and acceptance of each others differences is the first step towards changing negative behaviors. 

With one small gesture we can change a persons life……whether it’s changed for better or for worse depends on the gesture we choose.

 STOMP Out Bullying™
TEEN AMBASSADORS

Blake Graham

Teen Ambassador
  STOMP Out Bullying™

Blake Graham,of Pawleys Island, S.C. is a 17 year-old senior at Waccamaw High School.

During his late years of elementary and middle school, he was verbally attacked by his peers on a regular basis. He was mocked for the way he dressed, talked and acted. "Blake you ain't black you're an oreo!" Some of his classmates would yell out. "Black on the outside, but white on the inside!" At a young age Blake learned to deal with being bullied. He ignored the rude comments and avoided any physical contact with his bullies. But as Blake got older he actually wanted people to like him. He didn't want to be the odd ball of the group anymore and he wanted to have friends. So he tried to change himself into what people thought he should be. This made him stand out even more.

The summer before his freshman year of high school Blake decided that he would no longer try to blend in with the crowd, but step into the spotlight. He began a journey down unchartered territory. His entire lifestyle changed. He ate healthy, exercised and in about a year he lost 80lbs. He started concentrating on helping others in his community and getting the best grades he possibly could.
Today, Blake Graham is a straight A student and senior class president. He is Waccamaw High's One-man Welcoming committee and has more friends than he can count. At the end of his sophomore year in high school a South Carolina House Resolution number 4932 was created in his honor.

Blake was selected to represent South Carolina on the Youth Leadership Council (YLC) of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Graham’s electric co-op experience began in June when he attended the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. with 46 other South Carolina high school students and more than 1,500 students from across the country.  The South Carolina students selected Graham to serve as their representative on the YLC.

During Blake’s junior year he wrote two anti-bulling books. "A Letter For Andrew" and "A Crown For Victoria.” By creating these books he said wanted to illustrate a window into the lives of bullied teens to show people how serious bullying is.

Blake is senior class president and a youth ambassador of the Souper Bowl of Caring, a  member of the high school chorus, teens against drugs club, fellowship of christian warriors, the art club, the newsletter staff, the student council and is also a 2011 -2012 teacher cadet.  He is also a member of the National Honor Society for High School Scholars.

Becca Jude

Teen Ambassador
 STOMP Out Bullying™

Becca Jude is a 19 year old freshman attending Miami University of Ohio, majoring in communications. When not at college, Becca lives in New Jersey with her parents.

During her senior year of high school, Becca began to research child abuse and realized what a horrific problem it truly is. Shortly after, she found Love Our Children USA™. Almost instantly, she fell in love with the organization.  In July 2010, Becca created a twitter account @St0pChildAbuse. She decided that for every follower she received, she would donate 10 cents to Love Our Children USA™. Now she donates 5 cents per follower and has close to 10,500 followers. On her twitter account, Becca tweets about the horrors of child abuse and tells others what they can do to help. She also talks to victims and anyone else who just needs someone to listen to and be there for them.   

Becca is also very passionate about fighting bullying, as it’s another form of child abuse. She has been bullied frequently throughout her life and feels that no one should ever have to go through that type of torture.  She was painfully bullied throughout elementary school and again in her junior year of high school. Becca was also cyberbullied by girls that she thought were her close friends. It took a long time for her to overcome it, but she believes that she is a stronger person today because of it. 

Her message to others: You are special and beautiful in your own unique way and I urge all of you who are being bullied and cyberbullied to STOMP Out Bullying™ and not to let others get you down. In my opinion, if people say things to you over the Internet it is because they are too afraid to say it to your face. That doesn’t make it hurt any less, but just know that overtime what they said to you will no longer matter. It won’t change who you are or who you can be.

It is Becca’s mission to break the silence that surrounds child abuse. It is a major problem that needs to be talked about. Becca is very passionate about this and has made it her main priority to spread awareness and give a voice to those who cannot use their own.

Becca looks forward to continue spreading awareness and working with Love Our Children USA™ and STOMP Out Bullying™. 

Khoshnoor Paracha

Teen Ambassador
 STOMP Out Bullying™

Khoshnoor Paracha (K.P.) is an 18 year-old freshmen from Queens, NY who attends John Jay College. Born in Pakistan and raised there for the first 13 years of her life, she was an active student with many friends.

K.P. came to U.S in summer of 2006. That fall she entered the 8th grade which turned out to be a sad and lonely time. K.P. was verbally bullied and on many several occasions her hijab was pulled off in the hallways. Her peers pressured her to take off her hijab thinking she might fit in better. She tried it but the teasing and the bullying never stopped.

She was called names like terrorist, stinky, ugly Indians and many more painful names. She was pushed & shoved in the cafeteria, and when she used the vending machines, kids would take out the plug before her snack came out. They threw paper balls at her with ridiculous and explicit images and offensive sentences.

She asked the dean in her cafeteria, as well as her teacher for help. No one listened. In fact after she took one of the messages to her teacher, he took it without looking made it into a ball and me throw it out -- completely disregarding it and K.P.’s feelings.
Whenever she got on the bus kids made fun of her. Even when she got off the buss they taunted her. They would hit her with a basketball and say "sorry". Things kept getting worse. She never told her mother or anyone else because she felt it would make the situation worse.

It was clear that she was being harassed on the basis of her beliefs, religion and appearance. The irony is that she had no clue that she was being bullied. K.P. didn’t even know a word like that existed. She wanted to leave U.S. as soon as possible however high school gave her a whole new life. She forgot about her past experiences and moved on.

In her junior year K.P. became a part of a youth group for girls who were Muslim. It is called Turning Point for Muslim Women and Families (victims of domestic violence).  After sharing her story with her youth leader, it was then that she learned that she had been bullied. Through Turning Point K.P. got a chance to share her story with the nation in People Magazine. Her interview appeared in the special feature on bullying issue on October 8th, 2010. The response she received from her High School was wonderful and very positive. Her interview was shared throughout the school and with thousands of  other students. Even some teachers shared their bullying experiences with her and she felt like she won.

Later that year the school began its campaign “Arise NY”. K.P. created the motto "Wake up, Step up Speak Up". The campaign’s main goal was to create awareness about bullying and how serious the issue was becoming. Their next and most important step was to show today's youth that they can help stop the cycle of hatred and how they can help stop bullying by taking a stand for themselves and the victims. They even had some bullies speak up – admitting to being bullies and why they did were so mean. The group ran workshops over a course of two months where K.P. got a chance to direct one of the workshops. For K.P. this was a tremendous and an admirable experience. Prior to the campaign in 2010, K.P. was selected to go to Virginia to attend the Associated with The National Crime Prevention Council [McGruff] & The National Center for Victims of Crime a conference for training with her youth leader and another youth member.

K.P. is a bullying prevention activist and her goal is to help a million people in her lifetime. By becoming a Teen Ambassador for STOMP Out Bullying™ this is one way she feels she can achieve it. K.P. has always believed in the motto that she grew up hearing. “Love for All - Hatred for None”. She wants to share this with the world.

Patrick Kohlmann

Teen Ambassador
 STOMP Out Bullying™

Patrick Kohlmann is a 17-year-old high school student from South Carolina.

Patrick knows first-hand about being bullied. His nightmare began in middle school in West Islip, NY when he was pushed down the stairs, thrown into lockers and called names. The last straw was when his bully threatened to kill him. Patrick suffered a concussion and not only did no one at his school do anything to help him, the school district accused him of lying and said he ws never bullied.

Patrick believes that the more kids know about bullying, the better and that’s why he started a grassroots campaign called “Through My Eyes” to keep kids from going through what he went through. Through his video, TV appearances and speaking at conventions, Patrick gets the word out about anti-bullying.

His passion is to stop bullying. Patrick mentors other kids who have been bullied and often speaks to bullied victims who come to STOMP Out Bullying™ for help. He has been and continues to be a strong teen spokesperson at school and in the media for STOMP Out Bullying™.

His YouTube video has already saved the life of another teen.

Alyssa Lane

Wyoming Youth Ambassador
STOMP Out Bullying™

The reigning Miss Wyoming 2011, Alyssa Lane was raised in Casper, Wyoming.  An honors graduate from Natrona County High School, her time was spent as captain of the cheerleading squad, student body vice president, an all state choir member, and supporting leading roles in school musicals such as “Footloose” and “High School Musical”.  At 17, Alyssa was honored with winning her first pageant title, Miss Teen of Wyoming.  She went on to be crowned homecoming queen at Natrona as well as the title of Wyoming’s Homecoming Queen. Alyssa has spent the last few years at the University of Wyoming in pursuit of her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Psychology. There, she has actively been involved on campus as a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and the Equestrian team, a Wyoming Cheerleader, and also in the UW choirs as a vocal scholarship recipient.  Alyssa is also proud to be on the Dean’s List.  She will be starting nursing school in the fall in Casper again, with plans to finish both Bachelor Degrees at the University of Wyoming after her focus on nursing classes.  Although always very involved in the community and in school, she has never lost sight of her long term professional goals of attending graduate school to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. 

Throughout her high school and college years, Alyssa has been an intricate part of community service efforts, participating in non-profit organization efforts for Make a Wish Foundation, St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital,  the Albany County Red Cross, Reading is Fundamental and the Children’s Miracle Network, and to name a few. The inspiration for her personal platform, “Cowboy Up! Taking a Stand Against Bullying” and her initiative to work with STOMP Out Bullying, came from an interview in which she was asked about the most important event that has happened in her life.  Being bullied at a young age taught her the importance of being true to herself, and going after goals despite the views of peers.  Her will to overcome the cruel bullying she faced during her elementary and junior high allowed her to be later involved in what she loved to do, without the fear of “what everyone would think”.  She hopes that her story will inspire others to focus on their dreams and aspirations, rather than fall to the damage that peer pressure can cause.    Alyssa refers to her platform statement as a campaign of equal rights.  With the dark stigma of high teen suicide rates following the state of Wyoming, she hopes to shed light on a topic that haunts the hallways of our schools and give hope to the youth of Wyoming by inspiring a goal driven attitude.   “Our teens who face the daily struggles of fitting in, have no idea how much potential they have.  I hope to inspire them to believe in themselves and to make their strides as leaders.  The bully conflict in schools starts and ends with peer pressure.  When we decide to take a stand against bullying, we in turn take a step toward our goals and away from the fear of being ourselves.”

Jenna Leventhal

Teen Ambassador
 STOMP Out Bullying™

Jenna Leventhal attends Junior High School in Springfield, Ohio. She loves to dance, cheer and has always loved helping others. 

As a victim of bullying in 4th grade, Jenna would come home every day from school and cry in her room. She tried to figure out what she did to the bully and how to make the bully stop trying to turn everyone at school against her.

She wanted to stop being herself so people wouldn’t tease her. Jenna knew this was wrong.  Finally, with the help of some special teachers and the support of her family and friends she learned how to stand up to the bully and got the person to stop.

During the preparation and studying for her Bat Mitzvah she decided to pick a charity as her mitzvah project. This was the perfect way to show her passion for stopping bullying and spreading the word about how destructive bullying is and how many people are affected by the mean spirited actions of bullies.
After doing some research to find the right organization to support she picked Stomp Out Bullying™ as her charity. 

Jenna always helps other kids feel welcome at her school.  She does this by trying to be nice to everyone and basically live her life by treating others as she wants to be treated. She stands up for others who may find themselves a victim of bullying.

She is very involved in her community and school and consistently volunteers her time and talents to make her community a better place to live for everyone.   In the past Jenna has volunteered at the Annual Junior Achievement Bowl-A-Thon, collected money for Salvation Army, mentored younger students in school, all while maintaining an A average in school.  She also has spoken to the local Board of Education on behalf of the students of her school to keep the Arts Program.  She will soon meet with the Superintendent of Schools in her district to help get BLUE SHIRT DAY™ - WORLD DAY OF BULLYING PREVENTION into the schools and work Stomp Out Bullying in the District.

Shacara McLaurin

Teen Ambassador
 STOMP Out Bullying™

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Shacara McLaurin is an 18 year old freshman at the Boricua College in New York, majoring in Childhood Education.

Shacara knows first hand that bullying is painful. She was bullied and brutally beaten in April, 2011, with a padlock in a sock by a gang of high school girls determined to keep her from performing in the school talent show .

This senseless act left her needing six stitches near her left ear, a deep gash on the left side of her face, strangulation marks around her neck, a bruised jaw and partial loss of hearing in her left ear.

Just months after this cruel assault, Shacara McLaurin is moving from being a victim to being victorious. She has turned this trauma into a campaign to educated parents, teachers and school administrators and helps other victims.

She had the honor to speak before the New York City Council committee, the New York City Board of Education, Community Board Officials and Bushwick Economic Development Corporation where she was honored with a Scholastic Achievement Award.

In May 2011, she founded, “Victim2Victorious™- Unlock Your Voice" anti-bullying campaign, encouraging other victims and bystanders to use their voice by speaking out.

She receives hundreds of emails from victims asking for help and showing support for her campaign.  Countless hours are spent responding to emails and calls from victims and parents of children who took their lives as a result of bullying.

Shacara has just completed writing her anti-bullying children’s book entitled, “Not You Sarah™” and song to illustrate a window into the life of a bullied victim.

Most recently, Shacara was bestowed the honor by the Brooklyn Borough President to sing the National Anthem at the annual Wingate Concert series. She also sings with the Gospel for Teens Choir, and in several other productions.

As for the future, Shacara continues to work hard in school while devoted to her church and passions, including serving as a Teen Ambassador for STOMP Out Bullying™.

Amy Stiefel

Teen Ambassador
 STOMP Out Bullying™

Amy Stiefel is a high school junior from New York. She enjoys playing sports, and her favorite is softball. She looks forward to playing on her high school’s varsity softball team this year and hopes to get a scholarship. Photography is one of her passions that she would love to pursue as a career and wants to study it in college. A friendly, funny, open person, Amy loves to help others.

Amy experienced bullying first hand from elementary school throughout middle school. She knows how it feels to be a victim of bullying and to feel unimportant. She was shoved to the ground, picked on and pushed up against lockers. Feeling angry and sad, she didn’t think anyone would understand what she was going through. Just because she never fought back doesn’t mean that it didn’t hurt or wasn’t difficult to listen to. Amy realized that it meant that she was a stronger person then her bullies were.

Since the 7th grade, Amy has made giving back to the community which is an important part of her life. She has supported Love Our Children USA since the age of 11 and went to Mississippi three years in a row to help rebuild homes destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Some of the clubs she belongs to include: FOR (friends of Rachel) which was created as a result of the Columbine shooting. The purpose of the group is for the members to go out of their way to make others feel included and works in conjunction with the Anti-Bullying Task Force at Amy's school. Amy also works with “Random Acts of Kindness” week. During this week, she and her classmates gave a certificate to thank the cafeteria workers, janitors and crossing guards for everything they do. They made announcements each day thanking different parts of staff throughout the week. The FOR club, had a “Mix it up Lunch” for the English Language Learning students. Amy and her group worked to make those students who didn’t feel welcome feel included, and are currently working on a public service announcement which will not tolerate bullying of any kind.

She is also part of TDAC (teen drinking action council), Green Club, and TAG (teen advisory group). Recently, she traveled to Washington D.C. through the organization, Steve’s HOPE, to lobby Congress for LGBT rights. All of the stories about suicides caused by gay bullying motivated Amy to express her feelings and concerns on the subject.

Amy was recognized during her Middle School graduation with a community service award. “This was a huge eye opener for me,” she said. “Community service is really something I want to do for the rest of my life.”
        
Amy feels very strongly that teenagers can make a big difference if they would all work together. She said “It’s just tragic for someone to take their own life because they were told that they were not good enough, or because they could not handle the hate anymore. It’s unbearable to hear. It is time to STOMP Out Bullying!”

Lauren Weinberger

Teen Ambassador
 STOMP Out Bullying™

Lauren Weinberger is a 16 year old junior at Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut.  She enjoys theater, acting, music and travel, is fun loving and enjoys giving advice and helpful suggestions to her friends, classmates, camp bunkmates and peers. 

Lauren has a keen interest in raising funds for school projects and other important social causes.  She has led the fundraising campaigns for her acting program at school, Staples Players, for the past few years and has brought in many new donors through her efforts.  She also raises funds for the American Heart Association through their annual Fairfield County Heart Walk, as well as organizing and directing Listen to the Beat, a musical concert in Westport that raised funds for the American Heart Association.  Through her efforts, Lauren raised over $5,000.00 from the event, which placed her as the top teenage fundraisers in the country. 
For the past seven years, Lauren has spent her summers at sleep away camp in Maine.   She counts her bunkmates as her “sisters” and enjoys close relationships with them.  Unfortunately, Lauren was cyber bullied prior to returning to camp this summer, and was able to overcome that negative experience through perseverance and the support of her close friends and “sisters.”  Lauren wrote an essay on the experience for her English class at school and received a very high grade for her essay.

As for future plans, Lauren continues to work hard at school while devoting time to charities that she is passionate about, including serving as a Teen Ambassador for STOMP Out Bullying™.   She looks forward to attending college in the near future and combining her interests in theater and business. 

 STOMP Out Bullying™
KID AMBASSADORS

Kid Ambassador
 STOMP Out Bullying™

My name is Brandonn Baez, I am 10 years old and am in the 5th grade at an elementary school in Westchester County, NY.

Born in Yonkers and raised in the Bronx, I currently live in New Rochelle. NY. I like playing video games, good food, traveling, swimming and reading about American History. At the age of 10 I have been very lucky to have traveled to other states, as well as the Caribbean Islands. Traveling has been a wonderful experience for me, having met many people of different cultures which has helped me to understand the way others live. It really makes me appreciate my life. 

In fourth grade I realized that I was being bullied and didn't even know it. I thought bullying was just hitting but I found out it was much more than that. The abuse continued and I finally had the courage to tell my mom. At first, I didn't want to tell her because I didn't want her to worry. I thought I could handle it but it was too overwhelming. I never got in a fight or argument in school so when I was attacked and hurt badly, it was the worst feeling in the world. At that moment, I was so angry that I was full of hatred and revenge. But I know that violence is not the answer, I stood there and let someone humiliate and violate me. I had a choice of changing schools but I decided to stay at the same school because I had friends there and I liked my teachers. Bullying seems to be everywhere you go and for me running was not an option.

I know I am only 10 years old but I want to make a difference when it comes to bullying because it's an epidemic. This school year, I was asked to be part of the school newspaper, and I agreed because I want other students to know that they are not alone by writing about bullying and helping them. I wish I could say that the bullying has ended but not in my case. I am still a victim of bullying, but I will not run and I will not allow anyone to take my honor, courage and respect away from me.

I am proud to be the one and only “Kid Ambassador” for STOMP Out Bullying™.
                                                                    

 

 

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