On April 21st and April 24th, I tabled during 4th and 5th period lunch in Colt Court with my friend Izzy, who is also an ESSJ scholar. We each presented our two different PRAXIS projects to students, using posters we made and our websites set up, to engage students in conversations about our topics. My PRAXIS focused on the Troubled Teen Industry, and I had the opportunity to speak with students who were interested in learning more.

Tabling during lunch for my PRAXIS project on the Troubled Teen Industry was actually such a cool and meaningful experience. I wasn’t sure how people would react to the topic at first, since it’s not something that’s talked about a lot. But once people started coming up to the table, I realized how nice it was to bring attention to something that most people don’t even know exists. It felt really good to be the one starting those conversations. A lot of people were pretty shocked when they read my poster about survivors reporting abuse and mistreatment. I could see their faces change and real "OMG"s  as they started looking through the prints laid out on the table. That moment of realization that this isn’t just some faraway problem but something real and happening right now, especially in our country, definitely hit some of them.

What stood out to me most was how genuinely engaged people were. For example, most didn’t just stop by to get their paper stamped by me. They actually stayed to read the posters, ask questions, and listen to what I had to say. Some people admitted they had never heard of the Troubled Teen Industry before when I had asked them, which didn’t surprise me too much because it’s not talked about in the media very often. But it made me even more happy that I chose this topic for my PRAXIS. It felt like I was helping raise awareness in my own community, even if it was just during a lunch period.

One of my favorite parts of the whole event was just getting to talk about the topic. I’m super passionate about it, honestly I could talk about the Troubled Teen Industry for hours. So having a space where I could actually do that and have people listen and care meant a lot to me. It didn’t feel like I was just saying/presenting this for a grade. It felt good and real, like advocacy, I was doing something that mattered. I think it also showed people a different side of me because I don't really speak on things, let alone SPEAK. This wasn’t just a school assignment I was trying to get over with it was something I genuinely care about and have spent time researching.

I’m really proud of how tabling went. I noticed that just starting conversations can make a change. Even if people walked away, I still got to speak on something I care about as well as many other advocates and survivors of the Troubled Teen Industry. Maybe those who listened will talk to someone else about it, or look up more information on their own. I’m just happy I had the chance to share something that matters so much to me with others. It made me feel heard. Awareness is the first step to change.