BBYO hosted students at Solon High School on the evening of Nov. 8 to discuss the election and hear from speaker Jackie Cruz, a Dominican-American actress best known for her role on “Orange is the New Black,” on pursuing their goals.
Cruz shared her story of growing up in the Dominican Republic and facing setbacks toward pursuing her dream of acting, most notably being severely injured in a car accident when she was a teenager. She said recovering from the accident, she had a “shaved head, crooked eyes and couldn’t even smile,” however, still went on to pursue her goals.
“I thought my dream was over at 17 years old,” she said. “If you guys leave here with anything today … determination, perseverance and never giving up is definitely key.”
BBYO is a pluralistic Jewish teen group that seeks to engage teens in Jewish experiences. About 200 students were registered for the event, which was also open to non-Jewish students. Lindsey Rosenberg, senior regional director of BBYO, said one of the purposes of the event was to motivate the students to vote once they are old enough.
“The goal is to get them more engaged and excited about the election, and even though most of them are too young to vote, we want them to be excited about the opportunity in the future and know that they still have a voice,” Rosenberg said.
Samantha Eisner, 14, who is active in BBYO, said the event was interesting because although teens sometimes scoff at educational events, fun occasions can help them become engaged and educated too.
“With BBYO, it’s like you are learning and having fun with your friends,” she said.
