25 x 25
By Improper Staff | Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez | Aug. 5, 2016
Casey McQuillen
Andover native Casey McQuillen made it to Hollywood on the 2014 season of American Idol, but her time in the spotlight on the hit show isn’t the 23-year-old’s proudest accomplishment. That distinction goes to the 2016 Berklee grad’s “You Matter” tour, which combines music and motivational speaking to promote an anti-bullying message to middle and high school students across the country. The project got its start when an old teacher invited McQuillen to guest-teach a songwriting class, for which she chose three songs she’d written in middle school that dealt with bullying and self-confidence (the singer/songwriter says she’s long battled anxiety). “I wanted the subject matter to be relevant to the students,” she says. “The students loved the program, and I was invited back to perform for the whole grade, and then the entire school, and then the neighboring middle schools.” Word continued to spread with help from her Idol fame; now McQuillen has brought her program to more than 100 schools, performing for more than 25,000 students. “I want to use my platform to connect with people, share stories and give a voice to those who think they don’t matter,” she says. “That’s the point: You matter!”
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