Our founder started Shining S.C.A.R.S. beginning with the vision for her children's book at the age of 14. She founded the non-profit one year later, with the hope of making her book available for children and teens like herself, healing with scars and faced with the challenge of self-acceptance. Taking her message to many stages including TEDx, publications, Book Expo America, Channel Kindness and the Miss USA competition, as Miss West Virginia USA 2022, Krystian has made her teen dreams a reality. We hope that everyone has the opportunity to make our world a brighter place, just as Krystian has. 

"Growing up I experienced first-hand the trials and self-esteem issues associated with bullying I received because of my visible scars. Healing physically was the easy part, learning how to heal from the emotional scars left by bullying, was the hardest." - Krystian Leonard