Cynthia Bissett was born in Wheeling, WV in 1954. She attended West Virginia University and earned a Master’s degree from George Washington University. She and her husband had two daughters: Stefani and Natali.
When her daughter Stefani was in school, she was often bullied. On one occasion, Stefani was thrown into a garbage can while her classmates did nothing to help her.
Stefani’s experience led Cynthia to become an activist with a focus on the protection of young people against bullying. With family funds, foundation, and corporate support, Cynthia and Stefani were able to create a non-profit to “challenge meanness and cruelty by inspiring young people to create a support system in their respective communities.”
The foundation that Cynthia and Stefani created has achieved success through a number of innovative programs including
- Channel Kindness – a program to encourage youth to broadcast acts of kindness they saw in their local communities.
- #Someone2Turn2 – a program to encourage healthy conversations about mental health and then share these conversations on social media. Stefani has often shared her own story of struggles with mental health.
- #BeKind21 – a program that encourages acts of kindness for 21 days – the number of days that are thought necessary to form a habit.
These are but a few of the many initiatives of the foundation. In each of these, Cynthia and Stefani partnered with other groups to bring awareness and stimulate actions to foster kindness and bravery.
Cynthia addressed the UN General Assembly at the launch of the United for Global Mental Health initiative. The World Health Organization has named Cynthia as one of its four Goodwill Ambassadors for mental health.
Acts of kindness and bravery are necessary for living a life of purpose. The Born This Way Foundation created by Cynthia and her daughter Stefani (better known as Lady Gaga) show all of us how hope can overcome cruelty.
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“I feel like if you’re a really good human being, you can try to find something beautiful in every single person, no matter what.” – Lady Gaga