Local Student Sets Out To Make A Change
WARSAW — Some mornings, 18-year-old Meredith Phipps can be found jogging around Warsaw. Other mornings and throughout the day, she may be writing poetry or reading a novel anywhere between a heavy classic or light and easy.
On several other days, she can be found helping others in anyway she can.
With a warm smile, open hand and understanding heart, she is ready to move forward and make a difference.
Of the people who have helped shape her into the person she is today, Phipps thanks her family’s support in everything she’s done. They never once pursed their lips in doubt when she wanted to pursue new avenues in life, from dance lessons to playing guitar.
“I was 2-years-old when I said I wanted to live in New York one day.” Phipps laughed. “They didn’t shoot me down, and now I’m actually moving there. They never made me feel like what I wanted to do wasn’t worth my time or their time.”
That is exactly where she will be in the fall while she attends Barnard College, a private women’s college, at Columbia University in Manhattan. She will be majoring in English and Spanish.
During the past winter, accompanied with her brother and mother, Phipps volunteered at the citizenship class in Warsaw. It was there she became more motivated to help people to immigrate and protect their rights, fueling her intentions to later attend law school to pursue civil rights and immigration advocacy law.
“We feel strongly about making sure everybody in our community feels included and welcome,” she explained. “I wish that everybody could be a little more willing to look outside what they believe to be right and consider other people’s experiences and walks of life, so we can have more of a collective empathy as a culture.”
While the citizenship class helped her choose what path she’d like to walk, it hasn’t been the only kind of outreach she’s done.
Phipps was a two year student representative for Warsaw Community Schools social and emotional wellness team. The team focused on teaching children how to handle their emotions, stress and recognize what they’re feeling, which is already complicated for even full grown adults to navigate.
For other extracurricular activities, Phipps was a part of choir for four years. Through choir she grew confident in her ability to sing and was able to perform alongside other students at various types of community events.
She participated in the unified track team, where athletes with mental or physical disabilities pair with partner athletes who will help them participate in sporting events. Her time was also spent being a part of myTEAM TRIUMPH, a nonprofit ride along program for people with disabilities who normally wouldn’t be able to experience events like triathlons or road races.
“I want to be the kind of person other people can feel comfortable around,” elaborated Phipps. “I want to be able to put out warm energy and be a person who is willing to fight for what they want and who won’t give up until they get it.”
With her eagerness to help others and determination to make an impact in the world — even if it’s only one life at a time — Phipps is someone who will sing the song of change.