Originating from her freshman year in high school, the path of being a role model seemed to have been decided for junior Teagan Cumming.
When she was a freshman, she noticed that the year of cheerleading with FHC seemed more inclusive, and that was because of one reason: her sister was there to act as a role model for her and others on the team.
“When [my sister] was on the team, she was a really good role model to me,” Teagan said. “She loves everybody, and she made everybody feel so much more included.”
When Teagan’s sister was still in high school, the team felt like a community, not just a group of people getting together for cheerleading practice. But her sister not only allowed the idea of being a role model to be introduced, but there was a special bond between them, like a built-in best friend.
“I feel like [my sister] is a really good listener, which makes our bond so great, and we have so many secrets,” Teagan said. “I feel like I can tell her anything and she’s not going to tell her friends, or even my mom.”
Teagan’s sister has been a role model for almost everything in her life. Not many can say their siblings’ relationship is as great as Teagan and her sister’s. But ever since her sister graduated from high school a few years ago, she has made it her goal to follow in her footsteps, being kind to others and making everyone around her feel they belong. Not only on the cheer team, but in other places as well.
“The way I treat others has definitely developed from the way I saw my sister act around her different friends, or how she acted in public,” Teagan said. “For example, like how kind she is, and how kind people are to her in return.”
The word karma is real, and in Teagan’s life, she experiences it almost every day. By being kind to others, she received the same level of respect from her peers, gained new friends, and received kindness from others.
“I feel like it’s easier to make friends when you’re nice to people because making a good impression on others makes them want to be your friend and want to get to know you better,” Teagan said. “Another way to put it is, people would want to have you as their role model, because of the way you act. It’s a good feeling to have.”
Making new friends isn’t her only objective; however, she also wants to make the community on the cheerleading team even better than it already is, acting as a role model for the younger generation before they make their way into high school, by going to youth cheerleading camps, and connecting with the future freshmen.
“I feel like the cheer team is very inclusive, and it’s like a family,” Teagan said. “The seniors can coach the eighth graders, and get to meet them and bond with them. There are also youth cheer camps, where we can teach the younger kids how to stunt, and we bond with them during the different camps.”
In the end, it all comes back to being kind to others. In Teagan’s life, she has learned that being kind is easy, and it results in gaining new friends or receiving kindness from others. But what matters most is the idea that being kind to another can result in a nice comment and become the highlight of someone’s day.
“Kindness actually makes an impact on somebody’s day, and being kind is free,” Teagan said. “You can be kind to anyone and change their day from being bad to good in a second.”
