>>>
>>> WE
>>> WE WILL HAVE THAT MOST FAMOUS PERSON WE HAVE EVER MET.
WHY?
WHY?
WHY? FOR
WHY? FOR ONE 10TH-GRADER FROM
OLYMPIA SHE GOT A ONCE-IN-A-
LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO MEET
AND TALK WITH THE DALAI LAMA.
KIA SOL IS HERE WITH ME NOW.
HOW COOL IS THAT?
>> IT WAS AMAZING.
>> TELL ME HOW THAT OPPORTUNITY
CAME ABOUT
CAME ABOUT >> IT ALL STARTED, I AM PART OF
A SCHOOL WASHINGTON VIRTUAL
ACADEMY THAT'S A DIGITAL AMMANN
PUBLIC SCHOOL.
PUBLIC SCHOOL. I WAS PART OF A SERVICE CLASS.
IT REALLY GOT ME EXCITED ABOUT
THE POSSIBILITY OF LEADERSHIP
AND COMPASSIONATE LEADERSHIP.
SO, WHEN MY SCHOOL EMAILED ME
ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE A
PART OF THE 2020 PASSION PROGRAM
I TOOK IT IMMEDIATELY.
>> THAT'S AWESOME.
I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU.
WHEN YOU MET THE DALAI LAMA
WHAT WERE YOU FEELING?
>> AT FIRST IT WAS A LITTLE
NERVOUS.
NERVOUS.
NERVOUS. UNLIKE, HE IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS LEADER.
AT FIRST I WAS NERVOUS.
AS SOON AS I STARTED TALKING
YOU JUST FEEL CALM IN HIS
PRESENCE.
PRESENCE.
PRESENCE. EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT,
ESPECIALLY TO THIS GENERATION.
EVERYTHING HE SAID RESONATED.
>> WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROM
YOUR CONVERSATION WITH HIM?
>> ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
THAT HE TALKED ABOUT WAS A
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELFISHNESS
AND FOOLISH SELFISHNESS.
WHY SELFISHNESS CAN BE DE TO BE
THE IDEA THAT TO MAKE OTHERS
HAPPY YOU'RE MAKING YOURSELF
HAPPY.
HAPPY.
HAPPY. FOOLISH SELFISHNESS IS FOCUSING
ONLY ON YOURSELF AND NOT MAKING
YOURSELF HAPPY.
YOURSELF HAPPY. THAT WAS ONE OF MY BIG
TAKEAWAYS.
TAKEAWAYS. ALSO THE IDEA ABOUT COMPASSION.
BEFORE THE STRIP I FIGURED
COMPASSION WAS BEING NICE,
BEING KIND, OR SYMPATHETIC.
AFTERWARDS I REALIZED IT WAS
DEEPER THAN THAT.
IT IS TREATING HUMANS WITH THE
DIGNITY THEY DESERVE.
EVERY PERSON.
EVERY PERSON. >> THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.
YOU ARE A WISE 10TH-GRADER.
THIS INSPIRED THE COMPASSION
PROJECT, WHICH IS WHAT YOU'RE
DOING RIGHT NOW.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. TELL ME ABOUT THE COMPASSION
PROJECT.
PROJECT.
PROJECT. WE HAVE SOME OF IT IN FRONT OF
US, BUT THAT'S NOT THE WHOLE
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. >>
STORY. >> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. MY
>> NO. MY COMPASSION PROJECT HAS TO DO
WITH PROMOTING COMPASSION FOR
THE FOSTER YOUTH OF OUR
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. BY CREATING THESE PILLOWCASE
BAGS, WHICH ARE PILLOWCASES YOU
CAN THEN TURN INTO A DRAWSTRING
BAG.
BAG.
BAG. THROUGH MY EXPERIENCES AS A
FOSTER CHILD I LEARNED THAT A
LOT OF FOSTER YOUTH HAVE TO USE
TRASHBAGS TO HOLD THEIR
PERSONAL BELONGINGS, BECAUSE
SOCIAL WORKERS DON'T HAVE THE
BAGS READILY AVAILABLE WHEN
THEY HAVE TO MOVE THE KIDS, SO
THEY JUST HAVE TRASHBAGS.
>> WHICH DOESN'T FEEL GOOD.
THE WHOLE PROCESS PROBABLY FEELS
NOT GOOD, BUT THEN YOUR MOVING
STUFF IN TRASHBAGS.
>> I WANT TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE
AND MAKE THEIR LIFE A LITTLE
BIT EASIER BY CREATING THESE
BAGS AND HAVING IT BE A WAY
THAT OTHERS CAN SHOW COMPASSION
TO PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
>> AND THIS GOES BACK TO
TREATING PEOPLE WITH RESPECT
AND DIGNITY THEY DESERVE, WHICH
IS A LOT MORE THAN A TRASH BAG.
YOU ARE LEARNING TO SO FROM YOU
SAID, FROM YOUR GRANDMA.
>> IS THAT TRUE?
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. THIS ONE I MADE WITH MY
GRANDMA.
GRANDMA.
GRANDMA. >> AND THAT WAS THE FIRST ONE?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I'M IMPRESSED.
DID GRANDMA HAVE TO COME BACK
AND FIX ANYTHING?
>> WE HAD TO RIP IT BACK OUT.
>> YOU HAD TO BE COMPASSIONATE
TO YOURSELF AND REALIZE THAT'S
OKAY.
OKAY.
OKAY. >>
OKAY. >> THIS IS THE FIRST ONE.
HOW MANY OF THESE HAVE YOU
DONE?
DONE?
DONE? WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?
>> I'M HOPING IT WILL BE
SOMETHING THAT CONTINUES ON FOR
A WHILE, SO A LOT OF THESE,
MAYBE THOUSANDS, I DON'T KNOW.
THESE ARE THE ONLY TWO
PROTOTYPES I HAVE MADE. WE ARE
JUST STARTING.
JUST STARTING. >> THIS IS IN ITS INFANCY.
ON YOUR TRIP WHAT WAS MOST
EXCITING PART OUTSIDE OF THE
DALAI LAMA?
DALAI LAMA? >> I THINK IT WAS VISITING THE
DIFFERENT TIBETAN PLACES WHERE
WE ACTUALLY WITNESSED
COMPACTION ACTION. THE TIBETAN
CHILDREN'S VILLAGE WAS ONE OF
MY FAVORITES.
MY FAVORITES. WE GOT TO HAND OUT TEDDY BEARS
BY CONVICTS IN WASHINGTON.
IT WAS SO MUCH FUN SEEING THE
BRIGHT SMILE ON THEIR FACES
WHEN THEY GOT THESE CUTE TEDDY
BEARS.
BEARS.
BEARS. AND THEN WE WENT TO A TIBETAN
HOME FOR THE DISABLED WHERE WE
HAD A DANCE PARTY WITH THEM. IT
WAS BRILLIANT.
WAS BRILLIANT. I LOVE IT.
>> AND HAPPINESS AND JOY AND
BRINGING A LOT OF DIFFERENT
PEOPLE TOGETHER.
PEOPLE TOGETHER. RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ON THIS
TRIP WITH YOU?
>> I BELIEVE IT WAS 24.
I BELIEVE.
I BELIEVE. I'M PRETTY SURE.
WELL, THERE WERE ONLY SIX KIDS.
>> AND THERE IS YOU WITH THE
DALAI LAMA.
DALAI LAMA. >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> WERE YOU NERVOUS OR EXCITED.
>> I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT
AFTER THAT IT WAS ALL SMOOTH
>> WHAT DID HE SAY ABOUT YOUR
PROJECT?
PROJECT?
PROJECT? >> HE TALKED ABOUT NOT JUST
DOING IT IN MY COMMUNITY, BUT
FOCUSING WORLDLY.
FOCUSING WORLDLY. NOT JUST FOCUSING ON MAKING MY
COMPUTER COMMUNITY MORE
COMPASSIONATE.
COMPASSIONATE. >> HE WANTS YOU TO THINK BIG.
>> SPREAD THE WORD OF
COMPASSION.
COMPASSION. THE COMPASSION PROJECT PEOPLE
CAN HELP FUND YOU RIGHT NOW?
IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING
FOR?
FOR?
FOR? >>
FOR? >> RIGHT NOW I'M WORKING ON
SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT THE
PROJECT.
PROJECT.
PROJECT. I'M WORKING WITH MEMBERS OF THE
WASHINGTON GENERALS ASSOCIATION
TO HELP ME GET THIS PROJECT
STARTED.
STARTED.
STARTED. >> I AM SO