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Cheering on Others


MIRACLE MOMENT®

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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A MESSAGE from Founder/Director, CYNTHIA BRIAN

For as long as I can remember, I have encouraged and supported others. My parents taught me from an early age to be generous with kindness, talents, and knowledge. By helping someone else to shine brightly, my candle is not dimmed. My goal in founding Be the Star You Are!® was to empower women, families, and youth with the tools they needed to be the STARS they were born to be. We were not created equal; we are something far better…we are unique individuals with special gifts. And we have the responsibility and ability to share these gifts with others. Supporting one person may not change the world, but it changes the world for that one person.


As BTSYA begins its 27th year of serving our communities, country, and world, I am excited to continue helping our volunteers reach for the stars and land on them. Continue reading about BTSYA volunteers in the news.


If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area on Saturday, September 27th, I invite you to attend the Pear and Wine Festival, where you can meet a few of our exceptional BTSYA teens and pick up some fun freebies.

Helen Keller said it best: “Alone, we can do so little. Together, we can do so much.”


Be a Cheerleader. Yes, together everyone achieves more. Go TEAM!


With gratitude,

Cynthia Brian

Founder/Executive Director

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556



SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS!


FOUNDING HOST OF EXPRESS YOURSELF!™ TEEN RADIO PUBLISHES BOOK

Hello everyone! This is Steven Zhou — currently Assistant Professor of Psychology at Claremont McKenna College, but more importantly, one of the founding members of the Express Yourself!™Teen Radio Show! from Be the Star You Are!® and StarStyle® Productions, llc.


I fondly remember the days over a decade ago when Cynthia and I met weekly in her office in Moraga, figuring out the details of the launch of the new teen radio show. Each week spent recording as host, and later as show administrator managing the behind-the-scenes logistics, was an amazing opportunity to learn from our guests and witness their own inspiring career journeys. I genuinely believe that these early experiences not only set me up, but also instilled in me this desire to study career development — thus leading to my first book! In a wonderful full-circle moment, I was able to return to Express Yourself earlier this summer to talk about my book — listen here! https://sites.libsyn.com/560220/from-first-job-to-career-and-big-data


I'm thrilled to share that my first book, From First Job to Career, is published by Cambridge University Press. The book weaves together inspiring first-job stories from people across diverse industries and backgrounds, offering career seekers of all ages the chance to connect with relatable experiences and hard-earned wisdom. This collection reveals the many paths people take in shaping their careers and serves as a valuable resource for readers to identify with and learn from others’ journeys. These narratives are paired with a comprehensive review of research in vocational psychology and career counseling to distill key principles and offer actionable strategies for navigating the job search and building a meaningful career.If anyone is interested in the book, they can purchase it on the Cambridge University Press website. You can use the discount code "FRFJC25" at checkout to receive 20% off. All proceeds go towards supporting future student research projects!


Steven will be a guest on StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® radio broadcast LIVE on YouTube on 9/24/25 @ 4 pm PT or anytime @ https://www.voiceamericamedia.com/show/starstyle-be-the-star-you-are/

  • Research Lab: www.statslabatcmc.com

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szzhou4/

  • (Note from producer, Cynthia Brian: Steven was not only the first radio host of Express Yourself!™, but he also wrote the theme song and played the guitar on the track. He engineered several live programs and was instrumental in making this radio program viable and popular. As an active volunteer with BTSYA, he said YES to making a difference. Congratulations, Steven, on your success in life and with the publication of this book. We are so happy for you!⭐️)


ROCKET GIRL

Saanvi Phaneendra, a volunteer with Be the Star You Are!®, serves as a youth radio host with the Express Yourself! Teen Radio program, where she engages audiences on topics such as space, space exploration, and artificial intelligence, inspiring curiosity and critical thinking among listeners nationwide.


As part of her Eagle Scout project, Saanvi Phaneendra founded Galactic Getaway, a youth-led nonprofit with a vision to make space exploration accessible and inspiring to everyone. She raised seed funding, procured museum-quality metallic rocket models, and built a professional exhibit designed to spark curiosity and conversations about humanity’s future in space.


The display features six highly accurate 1:144 scale models of next-generation rockets, including NASA’s Artemis/SLS, SpaceX’s Starship and Falcon Heavy, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, ULA’s Vulcan, and Rocket Lab’s Neutron. Normally seen only in specialized aerospace museums, these rockets are now reaching families in their own communities.

To date, the exhibit has been featured at the Stanford Aeronautics & Astronautics Department, Stanford Astrophysics events, and libraries across Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Jose counties. With each library drawing thousands of monthly visitors, Galactic Getaway has reached an estimated 25,000+ people. Audiences have ranged from youth and families in libraries that serve communities with fewer STEM opportunities to high-achieving students in Cupertino to professors and researchers at Stanford, all captivated by the rockets.


The initiative has earned glowing feedback from librarians and even a commendation from the Mayor of Milpitas, underscoring its unique power to bridge communities, inspire youth, and make Space exploration and discovery accessible to all.


The exhibit is currently featured at the Moraga Library and will be installed at the Almaden Library in San Jose, (for the month of Oct) and Pittsburg Library (for the month of Nov), Ygnacio Valley Library, Fremont, San Jose Public Library and Lawrence Hall of Science in 2026!. The rocket display offers residents a chance to experience up close the models that represent the next generation of aerospace vehicles.


Saanvi shares her expertise about this rocket project on the radio about this project. Listen at the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel: https://sites.libsyn.com/560220/galactic-getaway


TARIFFS OR TACOS JOURNALIST

Keerthi has been a volunteer with Be the Star You Are!® since 7th grade and has served in numerous positions, including being a host and reporter on Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio. She is also writing new stories for newspapers about the effects of new tariffs on nonprofits and food banks who rely on imported goods to provide for the community.



Listen at the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel: https://sites.libsyn.com/560220/is-democracy-dying


THE LIGHT THAT REMAINS

As seasons shift and ambitions crowd our minds, I invite you to set one goal above all others this fall: become the source of another's happiness. Lift someone up using every ounce of your strength, and in that act, find your own freedom. Seek out the better part of a person and encourage it to bloom. After all, to live every day knowing that kindness is the impetus of our lives is the finest aspiration of our humanity. Whether exercised within the intimacy of family, the constancy of friendship, or even the chance encounter with a sympathetic stranger, these quiet efforts leave imprints more lasting than any triumph of pride and power. Art, music, and poetry provide much gratification but the simplest joy is still this: to brighten someone's day, to lighten their burdens. That light is what remains. That light is what endures. And ultimately, it may be the only legacy worth leaving.


Hi, I'm Tia. I’m 17 years old. I volunteer with BTSYA. I serve as a High School Programmes Ambassador for Ashoka University in India, where I also spent last summer enrolled in their Young Scholars Programme. I have a profound passion for languages - having topped my DELF (Diplôme d’études en langue française )exam, the official diploma awarded by the French Ministry of Education. I hold a B1 certification, a proficiency level typically attained by most French professors in India.


AS ON OUR WAY WE GO

by Karen Kitchel

The poem titled “Sharing” or “As On Our Way We Go” by Georgy explores the simple act of companionship and support, suggesting that even when one cannot fix a situation, they can offer their presence and share in someone’s experience.


Sharing

There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my bread with you, and sometimes share a sorrow , too – as on our way we go.

There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my flowers with you, and I can share my books with you, and sometimes share your burdens, too, as on our way we go.

There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my songs with you, and I can share my mirth with you, and sometimes come and laugh with you – as on our way we go.

There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my hopes with you, and I can share my fears with you, and sometimes shed some tears with you – as on our way we go.

There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my friends with you, and I can share my life with you, and often a prayer with you – as we go along.


Karen Kitchel is the Kindness Coordinator volunteer with BTSYA. She purchased the book, No Barnyard Bullies, as a gift for every kindergarten student where she is a volunteer teacher. www.scatteringkindness.com You can read more about Karen’s adoption story in the book Be the Star You Are! Millennials To Boomers. https://www.bethestaryouare.org/book-gift


INTRODUCING NEW RADIO REPORTER

Express Yourself!™ Teen radio is thrilled to welcome the newest member of our reporting team, high school senior, Hanna Yu... In her radio segments, Political Philosophy, Hanna will discuss how political philosophy can provide teens with tools to think critically about issues such as climate change, sustainability, and social justice, and experience how this connects to individual lives. She has conducted research with university professors, written articles, and presented her work at national symposiums. Hanna is also a dancer, debater, and sculptor, whose work brings together art and political thought. In her spare time, Hanna pursues her passion for sustainable fashion by leading closet swaps and secondhand clothing sales. Tune into her first radio broadcast hosted by Julia Howe, focusing on what concerns teens.



DONATE with GIVE BUTTER


MARK YOUR CALENDARS

2025 Pear and Wine Festival

The Moraga Pear and Wine Festival is a fabulous and fun day of music, food, art, crafts, contests, play, activities, and pear pies and drinks. Be the Star You Are! is proud to have participated in this event annually since its inception. This year, we will have activities for kids including our popular Plant the Seeds of Literacy project, a reading circle, book giveaways, and book signings, plus more. It's going to be a super-fun event, so we hope to see you there. Thank you to our sponsors, The Lamorinda Weekly, MB Jessee Painting, and StarStyle® Productions, LLC. Celebrate with a modern photo wall at our event, provided by Showtime Photo Booth. The event is FREE, and the festival is fabulous! Let's party! https://www.bethestaryouare.org/events-1/2025-pear-and-wine-festival

Sep 27, 2025, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Moraga, 1425 St Marys Rd, Moraga, CA 94556


COMING SOON: NEW BOOK, FLAP FORWARD! FLY FREE!

Be the Star You Are!® is proud to announce the soon-to-be-released children’s picture book, FLAP FORWARD! FLY FREE!. This is the fourth book in Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventure series, with all proceeds benefiting our literacy outreach projects. When animals are in trouble, who comes to their rescue? The barnyard buddies leap into action to help the frightened Father Gander. Through collaboration, cooperation, and courage, fear is faced with love and friendship.

Discounted pre-sales until October 1, 2025 only, and you’ll be able to find out more information at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/books.


OUR RADIO BROADCASTS INSPIRE AND COMMUNICATE

Every week under the auspices of Be the Star You Are!® charity and produced by StarStyle® Productions, LLC, listeners are encouraged and inspired on our two international radio broadcasts, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® and Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio. StarStyle® is a lifestyle program bringing information and innovative ideas that will aid with daily living, while Express Yourself!™ is hosted by teens, for teens, with discussions about everything and anything that interests youth today. Both programs are unedited, uncensored, and unapologetically authentic.


“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” – Albert Schweitzer


StarStyle® Empowerment is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. https://cynthiabrian.substack.com/p/supporting-others

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Cynthia Brian

 
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