Samantha “Sam” Sharpe, a sophomore at Gig Harbor High School, was inspired by a social experiment on YouTube in which people are told that they are beautiful, and their reactions are filmed. Sam decided to do her own version at GHHS for Make A Difference week.

Walking around school, she walked up to several different people ‒ students and teachers, people she knew and people she had never spoken to ‒ and asked if she could take their picture for a project. When she pointed the camera at them, she started filming instead of taking any pictures. As the camera was aimed at the person, she explained the purpose behind her project: “I’m taking pictures of things I find beautiful.”

‒”I wanted to show the beauty that Gig Harbor has,” she explained. “I had seen a video like it, and I wanted to make my own version with Gig Harbor High School students.”

“People reacted differently. Sam pointed out that some people thought she was joking. They laughed and waved her comment off. Some were confused. Other people took it nicely,” Sam said. “For those who didn’t take me seriously, I guess that they don’t believe it because they haven’t been told it enough.”

Sam further explained that she suspects that people probably thought she was joking or pranking them when she told them they were beautiful. When asked if anyone’s smile broadened, Sam replied that several did and that they also looked like they really appreciated it.

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