Elishia McAllister
New Orleans, Louisiana
How is your Hero working to make the world a better place?
Elishia is actively involved in many service-oriented student orgs at UNO including the Service Coalition, Amnesty International, and the UNO chapter of W.E.L.L. She doesn't let the fact that she also has a heavy course load, is working full-time to support herself and also has to raise a 2-yr old stop her from feeding homeless folks, raising money for battered women, organizing rape-prevention classes, and contributing time and effort to a local community garden. She believes that our societal problems are the result of complacency on the part of privileged folks who think they have no time to help those in need, so she holds herself as an example of someone who is categorically busy, but still manages to go above and beyond for her community.
How has your Hero impacted your life and inspired you?
I think the world would certainly be a better place if more people would follow her example. There are times when I find myself tired, or unwilling to go out and perform service projects for the community, believing myself to be too overwhelmed by my personal obligations. But then, I think about Elishia, and how my personal problems will always pale in comparison to hers, and yet she still finds the will power to get up early on a Saturday morning and help out at local schools and shelters. She makes me believe that I am always capable of more.