When Shayna Fowler was five years old, she and her dad were waiting on her mom’s doctor’s appointment to be over and to kill some time they figured that racing up the down escalator would be a fun way to pass the time. Half way up, Shayna fell and cut open her knee. Blood rushed to the surface and tears filled her eyes. Shayna’s dad said “Do you want to go back down?” Shayna looked at her knee and then her dad and said, “No, I want to finish,” to which her dad responded, “That a girl. There ain’t no quit in you.” This was the moment that best defines Shayna and she realized nothing could stop her if she was determined enough.
Shayna is a student at Pickerington Central High School, volunteers at C3 Church, and is actively involved in Student Council and the National Honor Society. Shayna is also very involved in the Butterfly Project Club, an organization of which Shayna helped create. The Butterfly Project is an organization specifically designed to redefine the way that girls view/treat themselves and the way they view/treat each other. A group of girls visit elementary, middle, junior high and high schools to remind girls that they are valuable, lovable, capable and beautiful. “Our program addresses bullying, low self-worth and self-esteem, and our speaker, Marlene Carson (Founder of Rahab’s Hideaway) shares her testimony of overcoming human trafficking.”
Shayna says that on paper, The Butterfly Project does not make a lot of sense and that is one of the obstacles she has had to overcome. “Why would an administration ever want a group of high school girls to come into their school, stir up an unbelievable amount of emotion, warn them about pimps, and then leave? How can they take us seriously? A lot of times my age is both my greatest advantage and my biggest weakness. However, handling myself professionally and taking this project seriously has given us credibility, and in a little over one year the Butterfly Project has gone to two countries, has been featured on Good Morning America, has brought hope and love to over 7,500 girls, and actually rescued one girl from human trafficking.”
Shayna is most proud of refusing to wait until her twenties or thirties to do something great with her life. “I have always used what I had where I was, and understood that I had to be the change I wished to see in the world. Since twelve years old I have traveled to other countries on mission trips,” most recently being a 9-week stay in Panama City, Panama helping rescue girls from human trafficking. “I think that so often we see social injustices and think, ‘Wow, that’s so sad. Someone should really help them,’ but rarely do we see ourselves as part of the solution. If something upsets you and you think, ‘Someone should do something about that,’ chances are YOU are more capable of making a difference. So, do something about it!”
For more information on The Butterfly Project, please check them out at www.butterflyprojectchange.com.