As cliché as it may sound, one person really can make a big difference, as shown by the example set by one Dowagiac Union High School student.

Last month, Michael Nuyen, a junior who transferred to the school from Marcellus at the beginning of the school year, worked with the custodial staff and local disposal company Padnos to create a new paper-recycling program at the school. Thanks to his efforts, students and staff can get rid of old paper material by placing them in recycling boxes, which Nuyen collects once a week and places inside a massive bin that is transported to the local recycling company, where the material can be processed for future use.

Instituting a change for throughout a building as large as Dowagiac Union High School can be a challenge for anyone, especially for a student. For Nuyen to be able coordinate this new program, on top of his academic responsibilities as well his duties as part of the school’s wrestling team, is totally worth commending.

It’s great to see that students like Nuyen, even while still in school, are also conscious of the effects that our daily actions have on the environment. For him, watching the amount of paper that was being disposed of everyday within the school was enough to spur him into action, to step up and make a difference.

Nuyen didn’t have to go about it by himself, fortunately, as his instructor with the high school’s recently introduced Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates program helped him with developing his plan and executing it. The junior credits his enrollment in the class with giving him the skills — and confidence — to pull off his efforts, and we’re thankful for that.

In all, we think that Nuyen serves as a great example for the rest of his classmates at Dowagiac Union High School, and for the greater community. He witnessed a problem, learned what he could do to fix it, and then did it — something that we could all do in our own lives.

So, if you want make a splash, be it in your personal life or throughout the entire city, we suggest you don’t hesitate. Just do what you can today, and see where it leads you.

Who knows? A few small changes today could wind up making a big difference down the road.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.