Everyone and anyone can be an upstander. Yet do they have the understanding, the humbleness, the empathy? That is up to them" - Adelaide
What is her organization? What does it do?
Alicia Procello works with the Avery Dennison Foundation. It is founded by a Fortune 500 Company dedicated to helping communities all around the world. What they do is they partner with local organizations and help fund and volunteer for these organizations. For this specific project I want to focus on the work they do to help the greater Los Angles area. Ms. Procello and the rest of Avery Dennison Foundation focus upon homelessness in Los Angles. One of their wonderful partners to help poverty throughout Los Angles is United Way so go to their website by clicking the button below! |
What does she do?
Alicia Procello is the President of the Avery Dennison Foundation and the Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. She helps communities all around by finding partners for the Avery Dennison Foundation. Then she encourages those who work at the Avery Dennison Company to help volunteer and support their communities and other communities around the world. |
What makes her an upstander?
Apart from Avery Dennison she is also helps support the community by working as a volunteer for the Public Health Advocates and the Volunteers of America Los Angeles. She was previously a board member of Southern California Grantmakers and is current member of the African American Board Leadership Institute. |
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What I learned from her:
When I asked her, “What is your favorite thing about working with this organization,” she responded by saying how humbling it was. To see what other people have to go through makes you appreciate what you have. She opened my eyes to all the different people she and Avery Dennison has helped. As her piece of advice she said, “You have to be able to understand and appreciate the people you are serving,” she says that every person in this world deserves a chance. When she said this I thought of empathy. Being able to understand people’s worlds and how despite our differences we are still one in the same, human. |
What I think it takes to be an upstander:
I think anyone can be an upstander if they have heart. Being an upstander isn’t just about giving money to those who need it, its about helping bring these deserving people up. It takes empathy. Understanding the hardships that people have to go through and supporting them through this. Knowing that these are people too and embracing them for this.
I think anyone can be an upstander if they have heart. Being an upstander isn’t just about giving money to those who need it, its about helping bring these deserving people up. It takes empathy. Understanding the hardships that people have to go through and supporting them through this. Knowing that these are people too and embracing them for this.
The Project
Selecting the Person
Immediately when I heard about the project I told my parents so we were able to plan ahead and figure out the person to chose together. All of us had a few different ideas or thoughts but then my mom brought up the name Alicia Procello. I did some research about who she was and what she did and I thought she would be an awesome candidate for Power of One.
Immediately when I heard about the project I told my parents so we were able to plan ahead and figure out the person to chose together. All of us had a few different ideas or thoughts but then my mom brought up the name Alicia Procello. I did some research about who she was and what she did and I thought she would be an awesome candidate for Power of One.
Getting the Interview
For me I think it was relatively easy to schedule an interview and just get in contact with my person in general. The same day I emailed her about Power of One and how I was hoping she would be up for being my person she responded that night. I then asked her about scheduling an interview and that took slightly longer which was worrying for me. But in the end she was able to reply and give me the times she was available during the week. I choose a time that worked for me and we were able to schedule an interview easily. We found an easy way to meet up virtually and were able to discuss the questions I brainstormed before hand. It was a very wonderful experience learning about everything she did and the stories she had to tell me.
For me I think it was relatively easy to schedule an interview and just get in contact with my person in general. The same day I emailed her about Power of One and how I was hoping she would be up for being my person she responded that night. I then asked her about scheduling an interview and that took slightly longer which was worrying for me. But in the end she was able to reply and give me the times she was available during the week. I choose a time that worked for me and we were able to schedule an interview easily. We found an easy way to meet up virtually and were able to discuss the questions I brainstormed before hand. It was a very wonderful experience learning about everything she did and the stories she had to tell me.
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Brainstorming the Exhibit
When brainstorming for the exhibit I tried to think about what kind of message I wanted to get across. I thought about everything I learned in the interview and decided I wanted to capture the ideas of connection, understanding, and empathy she mentioned. That then drew my mind to hands, or interlocking hands to show how people are connected. The decision of having hands made me think back to when we created robot hands out of cardboard for a science project in 6th grade. We then were able to find a nice box to use as the base and background for the exhibit which made me think, how would I make use of the base and background. I wanted to make each symbol and color in my exhibit have meaning so I thought carefully about every detail added. |
Forming the Exhibit
Since I already had a relative idea of what I wanted to do I then started to make mock-ups out of paper to have a stronger idea of what I wanted to do. Once I had the correct measurements on what size I wanted the hand to be we used the spare cardboard from cardboard boxes we had. The box my exhibit rests upon was one of the spare boxes. I cut out the hand, strung the string through the straws, and my hands were finished! I then measured out the sleeves and did some research on corresponding symbols I could draw. Deciding on a yin and yang background I cut out the papers then glued them onto the backdrop. After hot gluing the hands to the background I was finally finished with the project!
Since I already had a relative idea of what I wanted to do I then started to make mock-ups out of paper to have a stronger idea of what I wanted to do. Once I had the correct measurements on what size I wanted the hand to be we used the spare cardboard from cardboard boxes we had. The box my exhibit rests upon was one of the spare boxes. I cut out the hand, strung the string through the straws, and my hands were finished! I then measured out the sleeves and did some research on corresponding symbols I could draw. Deciding on a yin and yang background I cut out the papers then glued them onto the backdrop. After hot gluing the hands to the background I was finally finished with the project!
What to learn and what I learned:
I want the exhibit to show what Alicia has taught me. She told me that everyone deserves an opportunity. Nothing makes anyone less human or less worthy. We are all human and deserving of an opportunity. I tried to represent that in my project. The humanity aspect is shows through the interlocking hands both reaching out. She told me out how rewarding her job was and how humbling it was to help so many people. She talked about how much she learned from her experiences and how seeing all these people taught her to be grateful. The hands reaching out in the middle shows how they both learned and helped one another. The yin and yang in the back to show this too. How there wouldn’t be one without the other, both assisting in the connection. The green on the base of the project is used to represent growth, on both sides. Through the experiences the two hands go through with one another, they are growing as people. Each of the symbols on the sleeves represents something so I will be placing a key below. |
*Mentioned in the Video
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Key
Star - Inspiration and Importance
Sprout - Growth
Crescent - New Beginnings, dreams becoming reality
Rainbows - New Beginnings and fulfillment of a dream
Rain - New Beginnings, cleansing /clearing
Peace Sign - Peace and Unity
Butterfly - Metamorphism, moving onto a better stage of life
Trees and Forests - Fertility and Life
Wind Chimes - Clarity and Joy
Star - Inspiration and Importance
Sprout - Growth
Crescent - New Beginnings, dreams becoming reality
Rainbows - New Beginnings and fulfillment of a dream
Rain - New Beginnings, cleansing /clearing
Peace Sign - Peace and Unity
Butterfly - Metamorphism, moving onto a better stage of life
Trees and Forests - Fertility and Life
Wind Chimes - Clarity and Joy