Threan Communications Network

How do you currently see yourself?

Throughout the course of my life, I have made it a personal goal to take steps not only to better myself, but to better my fellow man.  From an early age, when the concepts of public service or social entrepreneurship were beyond my realm of thought, I had an innate desire to find ways to help empower others.  That desire has been with me for the last twenty-two years and now, as I stand on the precipice of the decision of what I should do with my life, a resounding answer can be found.  I wish to take the feelings and thoughts and steps which have driven me to this point in my life and choose them as the basis to direct the rest of my life.

You speak of your history, where did this all start?

As a child, I created my own superhero, named Bodyman.  Unlike the superheroes which I had grown up with, Bodyman did not fight meaningless henchmen - he fought the ills of society.  I wanted to teach kids about the dangers of drinking, smoking, strangers and pollution so I created characters like Polluter, Stranger and Drugs. I created the stories, but that was not enough.  At the age of ten, with my younger brother and sister, we began to take the children's stories, which I had previously written, and develop them by publishing them and creating educational trading cards. 

Did the concept of Bodykids stop with the characters and trading cards?

No, after a few years and the acquisition of a grant from the organization, Youth Venture, the business developed into a media organization in which my brother, sister and I were interviewing individuals like President Clinton, Joe Torre and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as Teen Reporters, and asking them the questions of our peers.  Again, I knew that I was doing what I wanted to do, but I realized we could make a greater difference.

What other things have you\are you currently doing with Threan Communications?

Along with the reporting, we go into New York City schools as motivational speakers, talking to children about what to expect and what they can do with their lives.  I keep in contact with these children, as we tell each of them to send us their stories, tell us about their superheroes and maybe we can help them to accomplish their dreams. The lesson I have learned is that with the best of intentions, the practical ability to deliver the tools necessary to implement those intentions are paramount.

What are the any lessons you try to convey in your work?

Through my organizations, I have tried to teach others that one of the most powerful ways to convey information to individuals is to allow them to learn from a peer.  More specifically, I have always said that "Kids will listen to Kids," and this statement is how I envision the world as a whole.  I believe individuals have the ability to learn lessons from their everyday lives, using their past experiences as guide for the future.  Furthermore, as a society, once comfortable with this form of information gathering, we can take our newly found and analyzed perspectives and through the spread of knowledge on the internet and in conversations, learn from each other.  Learning from one another will make individuals better students of their daily lives and more productive participants in society.

What have you learned since going to college? Has this changed the way you think?

College has taught me how to push myself to the limit, in terms of work and to accomplish things which appear to be too difficult.  My experiences in college will enable me to be a better learner from my peers and colleagues. Life has taught me to take what I have learned and to apply it to accomplish goals.  Through Bodykids, I have encountered many individuals, from children to adults, and I have learned from these people many things.  First, that everyone has a dream, and second, that most people are not sure how to achieve that dream.  My effort with Bodykids and my dream has been to empower others to achieve their goals and live out their dreams.  I believe that public service and social entrepreneurism are directly linked with helping others to achieve what they want in life and to realize their full potential.