Impact Paper

Emma Darling Cushman Unsung Heroes Project by Lila Mocciola

Age: 14, 9th grade

Emma Darling Cushman Saved over 60,000 Armenian children. In 1900, Emma Darling Cushman traveled to Central Turkey and worked in The American Hospital in Konya. A few years go by, and WWI breaks out. There was an order for all foreigners to leave, but she kept working at the hospital and was known as the Acting Consul of the Allies and Neutral Nations. In 1915, the Armenian Genocide began. She started rescuing Armenian kids off the streets and hid them in basements and safe places, but soon the safe houses all filled up. She needed a way to house these endangered kids, so she turned her hospital into an orphanage. As time went on, Emma saved over 60,000 Armenian children during the Armenian Genocide. This story is such an amazing example of bravery and hard work. Emma’s courageous acts inspired me to honor her work by centering my passion project around her. 

This process of creating my project has shown me the importance of standing up for what you believe in and having enough courage to do so. Emma didn't get a lot of recognition for her brave acts, but she saved so many lives. She made a great impact on thousands of families. This taught me that people who are passionate about their work don't care about getting famous. They just want to better the world.