Eileen Chen, 16, Writer

My Immortality Project

I can’t remember the moment I realized life has no inherent meaning--that it is our greatest gift to find and make our own meaning. Personally, I’m driven to establish my legacy so a little dragon-lizard won’t wag his little finger at me and squawk, “Dishonor! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your whole family! Dishonor on your cow!” My imaginary cow would get very hurt. 

Wanting to leave a legacy requires seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary--finding gold in the gravel of daily life. This is my thematic idea the Clinton Foundation loved when they commissioned Weston Finds Wonder, a children’s book starring a young elephant the Clinton Foundation will distribute in library laundromats to help the 60% of kids who start kindergarten unprepared. Helping to craft this book and also my book Paper Magic, which helped us be chosen, is what allows me to leave gifts behind. And in doing so, I was granted the gift of meaning I sought.

Leaving a legacy also means combating learned helplessness, which is what I do with my tutoring nonprofit and business, both of which make tutoring more accessible to all. Learned helplessness is when we put imaginary shackles on ourselves and our possibilities when we are in fact free. What I teach my students is that understanding instead of rote memorization combats learned helplessness. So does befriending books, which is the point of Paper Magic. And so does overhauling an antediluvian education system that tells too many kids they are dumb when they are not--the heart of Emagination Island.

It was over time that I realized it is only what I leave behind that lives on. And boy am I enjoying the ride.

Find out more at https://www.papermagic.org/