Kelsey Wang had long been seeing homeless people sleeping under overpasses and on park benches when Spiritridge teacher Kaliya Okuri assigned her Gifted Program class of 4th graders a project— ‘How to make their community a better place.’

“Its kind of sad because everyone just ignores them,” said Wang, 9.

But, she wanted to do more than recite statistics during her presentation. So Wang set out to spread the word about homelessness in Bellevue, starting at the top.

Wang contacted Mayor Claudia Balducci, and asked to interview her and set up a presentation to the City Council. Balducci quickly obliged.

“I wanted to help her out because not many 4th graders contact me directly, and she was the first person who came to me specifically wanting to do something about the homeless,” said Balducci. “She clearly has a big heart who people who are in need.”

She was even more surprised, she said, by how focused the young student was. Wang got right down to business, and fired question after question at the mayor in a succinct ten minute interview.

Even Wang’s parents were shocked— neither knew that their daughter had contacted Balducci and set up a meeting. They were even more so when they found out she would be presenting to the City Council.

“I was really nervous, because I didn’t think a bunch of grown-ups would take me seriously, because I’m just a kid,” she said.

But people did take her seriously. Wang said her friends initially disapproved of her project topic, and remarked that homeless people sucked, and that she would suck too, if she helped them.

“I felt sad and angry,” she said. “But after everything, their reaction totally changed. It made me feel proud that I was able to do that.”

Okuri said Wang’s topic choice and work displayed a large amount of planning, courage, determination and initiative. “Kelsey’s choice of subject wonderfully reflected her thoughtful way of observing the impact an individual can make on her community, and her role as a change maker,” she said.

Although Wang says she wants to grow up to be a lawyer, helping the homeless will always be in her heart. This month alone, she will be volunteering to sort, repackage and label food to help Northwest Harvest.

“My hopes are that no needy person will be treated like an outcast, and many more people will help the homeless.”