Hayden Panettiere

(nymag.com)

I was watching the news one morning, when the news anchor started talking about a story that interested me. She was talking about a girl, who was only a few years older than me, that was fighting against poachers that were killing dolphins. I thought, wow that’s so cool that this girl is fighting for what she believes in, even though she’s just a teenager. Then the news anchor said that the girl was Hayden Panettiere, the actress. Now I was completely shocked. I never thought that a celebrity would actually go out and fight for what they believe in. That is why Hayden Panettiere is my hero.

Many people have heard of the actress Hayden Panettiere. You’ve probably seen her on the TV show Heroes, or maybe you’ve seen her in a movie. But, either way, you’ve probably heard of her. The most memorable thing people will know Hayden Panettiere by, is how she helped to try to save the dolphins in Japan. What she did was she traveled to Southwestern Japan and tried to stop the poachers from slaughtering the dolphins. In the end the dolphins weren’t saved and Hayden was wanted in Japan for harassing the men. But Hayden didn’t care because she was just doing what she thought was right.

Hayden Panettiere is eighteen and is at the height of her career. She lives in Palisades, New York with her parents and brother. She’s involved in the organization called “Invisible Children”, which brings awareness to children who live in countries where wars are being fought. She also supports “Declare Yourself”, which encourages 18-year-olds to vote. Hayden is also a spokesperson for the “Save the Whales again!” campaign, which is about how the U.S. can stand-up against whaling in other countries. So as you can tell Hayden really cares about other people and the environment, instead of just herself.

Hayden Panettiere is most definitely a hero. But what kind of hero, might you ask. Well, she’s a “hero to others near and far”. This is the type of hero who helps out others, even if they don’t know them. An example is if you send money to an organization, you’re helping out someone who you don’t even know. That, I think, is one of the greatest heroes. Because you’re helping save someone’s life or providing them with food or helping them go to school. So even though it may not be a big deal to you, it’s everything for someone else.

Hayden Panettiere, I think, is one of the greatest role models out there today, mostly because she inspires people to do their best and help out others. This, I believe, is what more people should do. Hayden also stood up for what she believes in. That is extremely brave, especially for her age. So, I hope that Hayden Panettiere becomes a role model for more and more people.