A TEEN’S TAKE: Mikayla Bush on her favorite activities
“My favorite things to do would have to be swimming and listening to music — swimming, because it’s a stress reliever for me. I love to listen to music, because it clears my mind of negative thoughts, so I can focus more on the road ahead of me, rather than the road behind me.”
Age: 14
School: Baton Rouge Magnet High School, ninth-grader
Parents: Ken and Sharon Bush
FAVORITES:
Book: “Wish” by Alexandra Bullen; “It shows that wishes and dreams really do come true.”
TV show: “Criminal Minds” (“I really love any and all CSI shows”.)
Movie: “Cyberbully”
Music: “I have a wide range of music favorites; but lately I’ve gotten into Evanescence, Plumb, Paramore and Flyleafe … if you really listen to them, they send out a message for teens to stay strong, and not listen to the people that bully them.”
Hangouts: The Mall of Louisiana and Crawfish Aquatics.
Role model: Daryl Washington, founder of the Dream Believe Know It Foundation in Wilkes Barre, Pa.; along with Tanner Kennedy and Salvatore Collard, both mentors with the foundation. “(Washington’s) so strong, and full of hope, I really can’t help but smile when I think about what he’s doing, and how much of a change he has brought to my life and the way I look at situations … Tanner was my first mentor, and now, he’s like my brother. He’s so inspirational and positive … I talk to (Collard) on a daily basis, and he inspires me more every day to just get out there and make a difference in the world.”
Extra: Bush has been involved for the past 18 months with the Dream Believe Know It Foundation (http://thedbkfoundation.org), which offers mentoring for youth as well as workshops and a campaign against bullying. She first was a one of the youth mentored, and now will also serve as a junior mentor, providing encouragement to another young person and speaking out against bullying in her community.
William Taylor
Assistant People editor