There are so many people to meet at Lipscomb and this week, I met a student who's spreading confidence and self-love in the world. She's affirming stranger's stories. She's encouraging society to listen and learn from someone else's experience. She's helping us find our voices. What if everyone thought this way? What if we validated someone else's journey, and let them feel the strength and worth that they have? Here's what storyteller Becca Risley says about why she's passionate about sharing your story.

I’ve been passionate about finding and telling stories for as long as I can remember.

My greatest dream is to hop in my car and drive across the 48 continental states – searching for and documenting the stories I find along the way. Maybe that will happen one day and maybe it won’t. So until then, I’m going to start this “storytelling” project where I am – Nashville, TN.

I started this project at the Nashville Farmers Market and BiCentennial State Park. Everyone I met, I asked them the same question: “What has been your greatest struggle and how did you overcome it?”

I received many different answers that day. Several people greeted me with an open heart and shared their story with me from the very beginning. Others wanted a longer explanation after my initial greeting. Some people just weren’t having it; a few shoved me to the side and told me to move along.

Those that did talk with me touched me at my core. I heard stories of divorce, depression, suicide and pain. I listened as broken hearts told stories of healing, as the pained described the peace of redemption.

I’m thankful for the stories I heard and the people I met. I made a video documenting the experience. I hope that after watching it, you feel just as connected to them as I do.