Learning How to Live Like Ally

PROVO, Utah – Aug 28, 2019 – As a small child, Ally was one of my best friends. In many ways, Ally was a miracle. Because Ally had severe heart problems, doctors didn’t expect her to live very long after she was born. She miraculously survived, and we met in elementary school, when she was much older than any doctor ever anticipated she would be.

Ally fought hard to live and breathe every single day. Aside from her triumph on the outside, Ally was victorious on the inside as well, full of goodness and light. She saw people. When she talked, she made a person feel as if they were the most important individual in the room. She didn’t have the time to feel sorry for herself and her circumstances because she was too busy making sure everyone around her felt loved. She left my world better than it was before her. 

Ally died at recess when I was nine years old. It was a huge shock, and for weeks I walked around in a fog. At some point, I realized she wasn’t coming back, and the sadness nearly consumed my little heart. People weren’t going to get to know the Ally I knew, people weren’t going to see the beauty she brought to the world. That didn’t seem fair. 

After that experience, I decided I would carry on Ally’s spirit and giving heart. People would know Ally because they knew me. As I grew up, this decision led me to dive into the world of nonprofits and seek out opportunities to serve for a living. One day, while I was talking about my desire to change the world, a friend of mine mentioned the Ballard Center. I began looking into the center, and soon after, I signed up for the Social Innovation Projects, an on-campus internship program that empowers students to work with award-winning organizations that make a difference. I was assigned to work with the Ashoka Youth Venture, and it became one of my favorite college experiences.

Ashoka Youth Venture works with kids between the ages of twelve and eighteen who have already begun their own businesses in hopes of doing social good. I had the opportunity to mentor ten to twelve incredibly brilliant youth, teaching them storytelling methods, helping them create TEDx videos, and assisting them in making their ideas and organizations more efficient. Most importantly, I developed real relationships with these young innovators, and I was given the task to be their biggest supporter.  

I worked hard to gain trust and respect, and like Ally, I strived to see them. As part of the Ballard Center program, I also had the opportunity to meet in class weekly to discuss what I was experiencing at my internship and to learn social innovation principles. Every week I was able to increase my knowledge in the classroom, and then apply what I was learning in the real world. I gained concrete skills, especially the ability to think critically, which I have been able to apply to every aspect of my life, including loving others. 

Just as my life was changed when I was nine years old, I now have the remarkable opportunity to take part in changing others’ lives who seek to improve the society in which they live. The Ballard Center has enabled me to live in a way that emulates Ally—and to make a measurable impact while doing so. I want to leave the world better than I found It. Now I feel like I am on a path to do so, plus I am helping others onto that path as well. 

Learn more about how you can get involved in Social Innovation Projects at power.byu.edu.

Tiffany Fischer majored in public relations at BYU. Her first exposure to the Ballard Center was through the Social Innovation Projects internship opportunity.