“#hellomynameis Aaron Carpenter (@aaroncarpenter). I am 16 years old and from Shreveport, Louisiana. I have a lot of followers, and they’re young. I try to promote positivity in everything I do. I want people to look at my photos and know that I’m real. I don’t ever want to show images of someone I’m not. A couple of days ago, I was thinking about what it means to be a ‘normal 16-year-old.’ But then I realized that this is my first time being 16, so what is normal? I love my life, and it’s normal to me. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to other people. I don’t want my fans to compare themselves to other people, either. Peace online is as important as peace offline.”
Aaron is a Youth Ambassador for the UN International Day of Peace. For more stories from inspiring teens like Aaron, explore the #ForgiveForPeace hashtag and follow @forgiveforpeace on Instagram.
Photo of @aaroncarpenter by @brandonandre