Congratulations
to Darya Khani, one of our Ron Bell Inspirational Leaders of the Year! We are
so proud of you, and so excited to share your story of self-love, strength, and
inspiration with the Girl Talk community!
“Finding
myself was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I didn’t realize I had
darker skin than most people, until someone pointed it out to me in middle
school. I didn’t know my name was so unusual from the “norm” til some told me.
I didn’t know my heritage and ancestry was “frowned” upon til someone told me.
These
words were shared to me in middle school. Unfortunately, I believed it. And I
am not the only one who believed what a bully said. I believed that I wasn’t
the same as everyone else. Thus, I shouldn’t demand the same respect as
everyone else. I was convinced people didn’t want to talk to me because I
didn’t look the same.
Nevertheless,
one Wednesday morning in Middle School I was pushed along to this club called
Girl Talk. Little did I know the profound affect it would leave upon me. As
soon as I stepped foot into the Girl Talk room, I felt this sense of belonging
and tenderness I hadn’t before. The high school leaders greeted me with a warm
welcome and escorted me to the donut line. I picked myself a strawberry
sprinkle donut and continued to my chair where I would sit and stare, in awe of
what the Girl Talk leaders were talking about. The topic of the week was
Acceptance. My eyes awakened as I listened so carefully to what they were preaching.
The Girl Talk leaders mentioned how the greatest gift you can give someone is
unconditional love and acceptance. The idea of unconditional love and
acceptance would play a huge role in my upbringing.
The awe
factor I received on my first day at Girl Talk made me want to come back for
more. I made it a weekly priority to attend Girl Talk in the morning. In fact,
I made my dad drop me off at school early enough to be the first to pick my
donut and listen to the Girl Talk meeting in whole.
Week by week
I would learn about a new topic. These topics evoked so much curiosity in me.
Through my middle school years in Girl Talk I learned how to be a good friend,
listener, and overall better person. My final days as a middle schooler I had a
better sense of who I was and what I stood for, and I owed it all to Girl Talk.
Approaching
high school I was eager to join Girl Talk. It would be my first year as a high
school Girl Talk leader. This brought me so much joy w
High
School flew by and before you knew it I was the Head Leader of Girl Talk at my
Holy Innocent’ Episcopal School Chapter as a junior. Inspired by the middle
schoolers and my studies as a high schooler, I developed a 2 hour seminar to
teach girls the importance of coding!
You may ask, what does this have to do
with anything? Well, I wanted to impact the middle school girls in another way.
I taught them how to handle sticky situations, how to be a good friend, and be
confident. But I hadn’t yet mentored them in studies. I wanted to share with
the girls the importance of school. The privilege of an education. And the value
of coding in the world we live in today. I am happy to say the planning for the
2nd Annual Girls who Code is underway.
As I
reflect on my Girl Talk journey, I finally realized who I am and what I stand
for. I realized that I am lucky enough to be different, so I shouldn’t change
myself. I am a proud Iranian girl with strong dark genes that stand out in a
crowd! My name is Darya Khani. I love who I have become!
Girl Talk
brought the best out in me. It made me become conscience of the value of my
diversity and the worth of my word. I hope to help every girl realize the
beaming light that lives inside them and their individual beauty.
From
leading the Student Diversity Leadership Council at my school to volunteering
at the Atlanta Community Food Bank I have a passion for giving back. Thus, I am
honored to be the recipient of the Ron Bell Family Foundation Inspirational
Leader Award.
As I continue my
journey at University of Georgia with the Presidential Leadership Scholarship,
I aim to uphold high morals and always give back. I am very excited to begin my
journey in college as a Biology major in pursuit to give back as a doctor
someday. Go Dawgs! And Go Girl Talk!”
Thank
you, Darya, for having the courage to make Girl Talk a part of your journey and
to share your journey to understanding and embracing who you are. We could not
be more proud or grateful for you and all you have done to spread the Girl Talk
mission, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!
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