Making an impact on someone else’s life can be as simple as stepping out of one’s comfort zone, taking a chance, and making a change.

The anxiety that comes from feeling alone is an emotion students know too well. March 19, 2014 marked the first WS Make A Change Day, proposed and kick started by junior Alex Cady as an effort to make every student at WS feel included and to provide each student with new understanding about others’ lives.

“I see people sitting alone sometimes and it bothers me. Especially for new kids, it can be pretty intimidating,” said Cady. “I try to sit with them sometimes, but I can’t sit with everyone all the time.”

Cady’s desire to reach out prompted him to design a day to encourage all students to have a heart for their peers and welcome the formation of new friendships.

“I wanted to give them a chance to meet new people and make new friends,” said Cady, “and to get people out of their cliques and comfort zones [to] meet people with the same interests.”

Often, simply reaching out to others can create a sense of security for those who feel lonely, uncomfortable, or as if they have no one to confide in.

“As long as it helped a few people make some new friends and feel like they have people to go to, I feel like it’s a success,” said Cady.

Cady’s idea to make a change was shared through social media. He was able to promote the upcoming event this way.

“I tried to [organize] it through the school,” said Cady. “There were a lot of steps involved, so I decided to do it on Facebook and spread the word that way. Getting the word out was the biggest part, and I had a lot of help.”

As a new event, Make A Change Day presented a challenge for students, asking everyone to take a step out of his or her comfort zones. Still, participation in the occasion was not in short supply.

“I thought it was a really good idea. I saw a lot of people sitting with people they didn’t know,” said senior Jamie Schmauder. “I think it was really successful.”

Throughout the event, students flooded Twitter with pictures of themselves sitting with their new friends, shared using the hashtag #WSHSMakeAChangeDay.

“My friend and I split up, and I sat with some freshmen and took some pictures with them,” said junior Shelby Peterson. “It was a really good thing!”

In addition to being a fun overall experience, the event is backed by more serious and important principles.

“I’ve sort of always wanted to do this,” said Cady. “I’ve had a lot of friends who were victims of bullying. It’s important that we all love each other and show each other respect.”

Cady has placed his focus on the impact each of us can have on others, and what we can do to make sure that this impact is a positive one.

“My goal is not to have anybody leave high school with a bad taste in their mouth,” said Cady.

It’s easy to understand why groups are hesitant to welcome newcomers, as its normal to seek after the most comfortable situations.

“It’s a hard thing to get out of; it’s normal to hang with the same people, so it’s not very intentional,” said Cady, “people don’t even really think about [sitting with someone new].”

Cady’s goal is overarching; he wanted not only to make a change in lunchroom seating, but to also encourage WS students to be welcoming at all times. This requires experiencing empathy and being able to step in someone else’s shoes, even if it means taking a leap out of your own worn-in ones. Make A Change day was designed to encourage such a permanent change in perspective.

“I like the idea of breaking down barriers,” said junior Sydney Cordoba, “I think there are barriers within people individually, not just in groups, and they’re hard to break. It’s hard to force it, so that’s why people don’t branch out.”

The ideal pursued by Make A Change day is to have people recognize these restraints they take and to respond accordingly with friendliness and outreach.

“If you see someone sitting alone, sitting with them should be your first thought,” said Cady.

Make A Change Day and the change in attitude it encourages is something that the WS community appreciates and would be willing to continue in the future.

“Maybe the next time around, more people will be involved,” said Peterson. “If [Cady] wants to do it again, I think Leadership and Peer Mediation [students] can help out!”

Making everyone aware that others could be suffering at any time is crucial to the development of a friendly and welcoming vibe school wide.

“At the end of the day, we’re all people,” said Cady. “You never know what someone else is going through.”