Celebrating Tayhlor: A Fifth Grader Leading with Kindness at Walt Whitman
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Sometimes the most powerful stories aren’t about executives, athletes, or community leaders.

Sometimes they’re about a fifth grader.

At Walt Whitman, Tayhlor has become known for something that can’t be measured on a report card. It’s not a test score, an award, or a title. It’s the way she treats people. It’s the way she shows up for her classmates. It’s the way she quietly makes her school a better place every day.

In a world that often celebrates the loudest voices, Tayhlor reminds us that kindness can be one of the strongest forms of leadership.
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*Growing Into a Leader*

For the past several years, teachers, classmates, and mentors have had the opportunity to watch Tayhlor grow into the person she is becoming. What they’ve seen is remarkable.

Like many students, Tayhlor was eager to get involved from the moment she arrived at Walt Whitman. She wanted to participate. She wanted to contribute. She wanted to make a difference.

But sometimes leadership takes time. As a younger student, there were opportunities she simply wasn’t old enough to participate in yet. For some students, that might have been discouraging. For Tayhlor, it became motivation. She continued showing up. Continued learning. Continued growing.

Now, as a fifth grader, she’s become someone younger students can look up to and someone her peers can count on. Not because she seeks attention, but because she consistently chooses to help others.
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*Leading Through Kindness*

Ask anyone who knows Tayhlor what stands out most, and you’ll likely hear the same answer. Her kindness. It’s easy to talk about kindness. It’s much harder to practice it consistently.

Tayhlor does both. Whether helping a classmate work through a difficult assignment, offering encouragement to a friend, or simply making someone feel included, she understands something that many adults spend years trying to learn: small actions matter.

One of the most powerful examples of this came when Tayhlor noticed a fellow student struggling with a conflict. Instead of ignoring the situation or waiting for someone else to step in, she helped create a restoration circle—a space where students could come together, listen to one another, and work toward a solution.

That kind of initiative doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from empathy. It comes from understanding that people need support. And it comes from a genuine desire to help others succeed.

Tayhlor’s personal philosophy is simple: “Always be kind to others and treat people how you want to be treated.”

It’s a lesson most of us learned as children. Tayhlor is living it.
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*Building Community One Relationship at a Time*

Schools are more than classrooms. They’re communities.

Every day, students have opportunities to shape the culture around them. Some do it through leadership positions. Some do it through athletics. Some do it through academic achievement. Tayhlor does it through relationships.

Her teachers describe someone who actively contributes to creating a positive environment wherever she goes. She brings people together. She supports those around her. She helps create spaces where others feel valued and respected.

Those efforts create ripple effects. When one student chooses kindness, it encourages others to do the same. When one student helps solve problems peacefully, it sets an example. When one student believes everyone belongs, a stronger community begins to form.

That’s the kind of impact Tayhlor is already having.
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*Dreaming Big*

While Tayhlor is making a difference today, she’s also thinking about the future. When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, her answer is clear: a doctor.

It’s a goal that reflects many of the qualities she already demonstrates every day. Doctors help people. They solve problems. They care for others during difficult moments.

Whether she fully realizes it or not, many of the characteristics that make someone successful in healthcare are already visible in the way Tayhlor approaches life. Her teachers have no doubt that whatever path she ultimately chooses, she’ll continue finding ways to make a positive impact.

As one educator shared, “The sky is not the limit for Taylor.” It’s hard to argue with that.
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*A Reminder for All of Us*

One of the best parts of telling stories is discovering that leadership doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. Sometimes it’s found in boardrooms. Sometimes it’s found on stages. And sometimes it’s found in elementary school hallways.

Tayhlor’s story reminds us that making a difference doesn’t require a job title, a large audience, or decades of experience.

It starts with simple choices. Choosing to help. Choosing to listen. Choosing to include others. Choosing kindness.

Those choices may seem small in the moment, but over time they shape schools, communities, and lives.
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*Celebrating the Difference She’s Making*

At UnoDeuce, we’ve had the privilege of telling stories about people making an impact across Michigan. Nonprofit leaders. Community advocates. Volunteers. Educators.

Tayhlor belongs on that list. Not because of what she might accomplish someday, but because of what she’s already accomplishing right now.

Her willingness to support her classmates, her commitment to building community, and her belief in treating others with kindness are making a difference every day at Walt Whitman.

And while her journey is just beginning, one thing is already clear: The future is bright. Not simply because of what Tayhlor hopes to become, but because of who she already is.

The world could use more people like Tayhlor. Fortunately, Walt Whitman already has one.