How did you find out about this hair drive?

My sister was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and St. Teresa’s Academy hosted an event similar to this. It’s been about four years, so I thought it would be a good time since there’s a whole new group of girls to do it again.

Why did you choose to do this?

It’s really important to me because my sister lost all her hair, but she didn’t opt to have a wig. But, I know that there are a lot of other people who would [want to have a wig]. I think it’s really important for them to feel supported. Then, when my dad was diagnosed with cancer this August, it really opened my eyes to see that it’s affecting so many different people. I feel like those people and their families need to feel supported during these times.

I know that Locks for Love does hair donations, but why did you do it with Pantene Beautiful Lengths?

I actually decided to do Locks for Love first because they allowed dyed hair. But, then I got some emails from girls saying that they were a very dishonest organization. I did some research and [found out that] they made the girls receiving the wigs pay for them. Before I was emailed about this, I looked at their website and it didn’t say anything about this. So I switched to Pantene.

When it came time to prepare for this event, how did you go about getting it ready?

I’m still really working on that. I sent an email to Dr. Baker and Ms. Bone, and Dr. Baker responded really quickly and she’s been helping me a lot through the process of helping me try to organize the shirts. Now in these next couple of weeks, just to finish it off, I am going to be working on the event itself.

What was it like organizing this big of an event that is very important to you?

It seemed really intimidating at first, especially as a freshman, because coming in [to STA] I only knew freshmen. I feel like I still am that way, but I think it’s important to get the whole school involved in an event like this. I realized as I kept going with different people I met, it became easier.

What do your parents think about you doing this?

They completely support me and they think it’s a great idea. I’m so glad to have parents who have been helping me out. My mom works for a non-profit and she has been helping me write emails. I’m just so glad I have the parents I do.