Age is Just a Number

Teens are constantly told that they’re too young or don’t have enough experience to do anything meaningful. Often times, youth with innovative ideas are cast aside because they don’t have enough expertise. However, stories of a child genius creating the next bestselling app, or a teen who started a nonprofit organization, do pop up once in a while. When this happens, people assume the reason they were able to be successful is because they were prodigies, or were naturally gifted. However, that’s not the case. Ordinary teens have the ability to do extraordinary things. It just takes passion and an idea.

Aarushi Machavarapu is an extraordinary example of this. She’s a young entrepreneur who started an online organization called Threading Twine at the age of sixteen. Threading Twine gives youth creators a voice by allowing them to express their opinions about social issues that they’re passionate about through different mediums. The content on Threading Twine ranges from memoirs about identity to informative pieces about the education system or being bipolar. The organization is open to anything, and gives everyone a chance to tell their story.

Aarushi said that she was inspired to create Threading Twine because of her involvement with TedxYouth@Austin. Interacting with people who were creating a difference in their community motivated her to take action, instead of just talking about social inequality.

She came up with the idea in January of 2017, and by April, she was turning her ideas into action. Aarushi said that the hardest part was getting started because informing other people about Threading Twine made her self-conscious, and it was hard to convince others to take her seriously. However, because of her passion, drive, and her dedicated team she was able to turn an idea into reality. She was also able to grow Threading Twine quickly through social media, and is currently involved in a program called the Incubator, which has helped her learn skills in business to expand Threading Twine.

Teens have the ability to create change in the world, and age shouldn’t be something that limits someone. Being young has many advantages because youth offer a unique perspective on the world, and can be more open minded than adults. Specifically being a teen entrepreneur has its benefits because many experts in the business field are interested in working with the next generation, but people can also look down on teens, and aren’t willing to listen to their ideas. According to Aarushi, in order to effectively make an impact it’s important to just dive in, and talk to people who have different backgrounds to gain new perspectives.