Layla Diamond did not feel completely confident when she signed up for a week as a World Changer in Honduras in July. She would be traveling without friends or family members, joining an unfamiliar group of students, and trying to connect with children in a language she did not speak well.
She went anyway.
That decision marked a new stage in a journey that began years earlier. Layla grew up in a family that made service part of their lives, from assembling gifts for homeless shelters to supporting organizations working on causes they cared about. Her older sister, Anisa, introduced the family to School the World, leading its Miami Chapter and traveling to Honduras in 2022.
When Anisa left for college, Layla took on the Miami Chapter. She organized a restaurant fundraiser, enlisted friends to help, and began telling more people in her community about School the World’s work. But traveling to Honduras herself gave Layla the chance to move beyond the stories she had heard and see what that work meant firsthand.
Signing up for the trip was Layla’s decision and she knew she would be doing it without anyone she knew. “My friends knew about it, but I don’t think they were too interested,” she says. “I was the only person there without a friend from home.”
For Layla, who sometimes finds it difficult to come out of her shell around new people, that was intimidating. But once the trip began, she found that the students’ shared purpose gave them an immediate point of connection. “It was better than I thought because the experience was much more important than that,” she says. “We were all there for the same reason: helping people.”
Her roommates, who already knew each other, welcomed her into their friend group. On bus rides, during meals, and back at the hotel, Layla began forming friendships with students from other parts of the country. In the community, the relationships she formed with the children soon mattered more than her worries about arriving alone.
Before traveling, Layla had already spent time raising money and explaining School the World’s mission to others. She knew that many rural communities face significant barriers to education, and she understood how fundraising could help support schools, books, teacher training, and other educational resources. Yet being in Honduras changed that understanding.
“You think that you really understand the situation that everybody’s going through in those communities when you’re fundraising for them,” she says. “But then, when you really see it in person, and you get to be the person making an actual physical difference, it changes your perspective in a way that I didn’t even really expect.”
Working alongside community members, local workers, and other World Changers, Layla painted classrooms, carried buckets of water and sand, and helped mix concrete. The work was more physically demanding than she anticipated. “I’m not the strongest person ever, so carrying the water buckets, the sand, shoveling everything—that was really hard,” she says.
But when she took breaks in between working, it brought her back to its purpose. Layla would spend time with the children, some of whom eagerly tried to help carry water or pick up a shovel. Their excitement about the new school and playground made her own discomfort feel much less important.
She remembers one student in particular: 12-year-old Allison. Despite Layla’s concerns about her limited Spanish, the two found ways to communicate. As Layla and the other students practiced Spanish, Allison began trying out English phrases of her own.
“The kids were all super welcoming, and they just wanted to see you and talk to you,” Layla says.
The exchange helped her recognize that connection did not require perfect words. It required a willingness to try.
Layla had already learned something similar while organizing her restaurant fundraiser in Miami.
She partnered with Maman, a local brunch restaurant that agreed to donate a percentage of eligible purchases to School the World. To make the event successful, customers needed to mention the organization when they ordered. That meant Layla and her friends had to stand outside, approach diners, and explain what their participation could accomplish.
At first, Layla was reluctant to initiate those conversations. Some of her friends took the lead while she worked up the courage to join them. But the more she thought about why she was asking, the less important her discomfort seemed. “I think a lot of it is confidence,” she says. “Sometimes I was scared of posting stuff, but you kind of just have to get the word out there.”
In Honduras, she found herself making that same choice on a larger scale. She did not wait until she felt completely comfortable to sign up, travel alone, meet a new group, speak Spanish, or take on unfamiliar work. She acted first, and confidence followed.
The experience also helped her put her nervousness into perspective. “Yes, I may be a little worried about speaking to a few strangers,” she says. “But is that really anything in comparison to raising money for these kids who actually need it? No.”
For Layla, confidence became more than feeling comfortable in a new situation. It became the willingness to use her voice and abilities in service of something important.
When Layla returned home, friends who had seen her photos and social media posts began asking questions. “They were asking, ‘What was that thing you kept reposting?’ or ‘I saw that post—what was it?’” she recalls.
Those conversations gave Layla an opportunity to explain what she had seen and experienced. She knows that a single conversation or post may not immediately inspire someone to board a plane or organize a fundraiser. But it can introduce the possibility.
“It’s good to at least plant the idea in their heads,” she says. The next time she organizes a fundraiser, her friends may recognize the cause and understand more about why it matters. She hopes some might consider joining the Miami Chapter or participating in a future Student Service Learning trip themselves.
Layla believes hearing directly from other students can make that possibility feel more accessible. Her influence does not come from presenting herself as someone who was fearless from the beginning. It comes from being honest that she was nervous—and showing what became possible when she moved forward anyway.
As Layla begins her senior year and considers studying psychology in college, she is carrying home a deeper understanding of the communities she had previously supported from Miami. She is also carrying a stronger belief in her own ability to enter unfamiliar situations, connect with others, and contribute.
For another student who is unsure about traveling without a friend, worried about speaking another language, or hesitant to step beyond what feels familiar, Layla offers the perspective she gained by doing exactly that:
“Anything that you’re thinking of that you’re nervous about—what is the worst thing that can happen?” she says. “It’s just a week of your life. During it, of course, the work is hard, but it’s so worth it. You go home, and you’ve made a big difference in other kids’ lives.”
Layla did not wait to become confident before taking the next step. She discovered that taking the step was how her confidence grew.
Ready to take the next step? Explore School the World’s 2027 Student Service Learning trips and learn how one week can broaden your perspective, build your confidence, and contribute to lasting educational change.
