Senior teaches the value of being true to oneself
Sanah Jivani has posed a challenge to people everywhere — get rid of whatever you hide behind, let go of your insecurities and reveal your true self.
The 17-year old senior at Klein Collins High is the founder of “Natural Day,” 24 hours dedicated to being authentic, honest and courageous.
What began as a single event on campus has grown into a global movement.
Jivani has been spreading her message of natural beauty, love and self-confidence to students at a number of schools and even started a nonprofit, “Love Your Natural Self.”
Jivani’s work helping others was sparked by her own battles with low self-esteem.
She was only 3 years old when doctors diagnosed her with alopecia, an autoimmune disease resulting in hair loss.
As a young child, Jivani had bald patches — and her mother would style her hair to cover them up.
“I didn’t even know that I had it,” she said. “My mom did a good job of protecting me. She didn’t want me to get hurt.”
As Jivani moved into middle school, however, the condition worsened. “Every morning when I woke up, there was hair all over my pillow,” she said. “I was scared to even look in the mirror.”
By seventh grade, she had gone completely bald. She started wearing a wig, but never felt comfortable in it. She started to spiral into a deep depression.
“There was a lot of selfhatred,” she said. “I had self-destructive behaviors. It just really affected me. I struggled a lot with finding happiness and confidence. I was hitting rock bottom.”
She avoided going to school, and other teens were starting to bully her.
The worst day of all, she recalled, was when she discovered that a few students had created a Facebook page dedicated to making fun of her. Some comments mentioned her wig.
The same day, her parents sat her down to explain that she had been missing too much school. “I used to love school,” she said. “I loved learning. I realized I’m not the person I used to be. That was the day I knew I needed to make a change.”
She was about to start the ninth grade and had been wearing her wig religiously for two years — not allowing anyone to see her without it.
“I needed to do something positive for myself,” she said. “I thought, ‘If I’m going to turn my life around, the next step is letting go of something that was weighing me down.’”
She decided to take control of her life and began slowly by removing her wig around friends.
“It was pretty much like I was practicing,” she said. “This was something I could do, and I was strong enough to do.”
Jivani had the idea to start a day on campus called Natural Day, when she would ask others to let go of something that was holding them back.
She chose Feb. 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. “It’s perfect, because you have to love yourself before you can love others,” she said.
The first Natural Day was scheduled at Klein Collins. Since then, 17 other campuses have adopted the celebration. Jivani reached out to counselors and principals telling them that she was willing to travel and speak at their schools.
“Once people heard about this, they wanted to participate,” she said. “It really started growing by itself.”
Now Natural Day has been observed by students in 28 countries — and Jivani is still trying to reach more schools. To get started, campuses are invited to download the Natural Day Resource Packet online.
Other students have taken off their wigs, shown skin conditions that they usually keep covered and even shed a bad relationship in honor of the annual event.
“I’ve seen everything from going without makeup to sharing stories of abuse,” Jivani said. “It’s not just physical. People are letting go of their internal struggles.”
Helping others has been rewarding for Jivani. “It’s amazing to see how courageous people are,” she said. “They inspire me more than I could ever inspire them.”
Klein Collins principal Randy Kirk believes Jivani is making more of an impact than she even realizes.
“For her to stand up and say that she’s proud of herself and comfortable to be who she is, it just means so much,” he said. “She’s helped so many students who have self-confidence issues to feel more comfortable. And high school can be such a difficult time.”
Kirk said that Jivani is an example to all. “She’s unbelievable,” he said. “She’s mature beyond her years. She’s gained so much confidence. Not only did she help herself. She went on to help others.”
Jivani started her nonprofit Love Your Natural Self at the beginning of this year. She needed funding to help her travel to other schools.
She hopes to grow the scope of the nonprofit and expand its outreach programs. “We can branch out and do other projects besides Natural Day,” she said. “It’s more than one day. It’s about empowering yourself year-round.”
Jivani plans to continue working on all her efforts as she heads off to college next year. She is currently deciding between attending the University of Texas at San Antonio and New York University. She wants to pursue double major in psychology and communications and eventually become a therapist or social worker.
“I want to be someone who helps other people find their inner strength,” she said.