If it’s a small world, then it’s a smaller Bethlehem. Here, we all have our waffles - problems to chew, decisions to ponder - and we just might find that if we take time to learn about others, we will learn about ourselves in the process. After all, we are each other’s teachers, young or old, each other’s students, confident or questioning, each other’s neighbors, regardless.

Now, let’s dig in to some scrumptious food for thought.

Raegan Pechar had rejected dozens of dresses by the time she decided to try one on. She had already plowed through the selection at the Lehigh Valley Mall, and now she was scrutinizing the inventory at the King of Prussia Shopping Center. Raegan, a senior at Freedom HS, was on a mission: she had to purchase a suitably stylish dress for Freedom’s Homecoming Dance.

All she wanted was a simple, flattering dress, but because of her budgetary needs as well as her sartorial sense, finding appropriate attire was not simple. As she put it, “a dress might look cute, but if it’s $500…” Finally, though, Raegan struck gold. The gold was white. It was not lavish. It was unassuming. It was the perfect dress (and it was reasonably priced!).

Raegan is a varsity cheerleader for Freedom. She is on the Homecoming Court, as voted by her peers. Making assumptions about her might seem simple.

Seventh-grade Raegan would happily have discussed her wardrobe forever, but this Raegan feels differently: “They’re just clothes!” This Raegan has more pressing concerns. On the morning of Homecoming, she is taking the SAT, and she has been studying diligently for it. Her effort has taken substantial time, and she does not have substantial time.

Why? Because Raegan is also Freedom’s overall student leader for this year’s BASD Mini-THON. She is constantly busy.

“It’s kind of hard for me to juggle it all,” she says.

For her, staying organized has been “one of the most important things.” In her backpack, she has several notebooks exclusively devoted to THON, and THON papers permeate her academic binders as well.

“I’m always writing down notes of other things for me to focus on,” she adds.

She is incessantly on the phone with her committee captains and counterparts at Liberty, as well as with sundry charitable organizations and businesses. She delayed answering lots of texts and calls while I was interviewing her, and with a yawn, she said, “The only time my mind is off THON is when I’m asleep, and even that’s a stretch.”

Her involvement doesn’t stop there. She also coaches a squad of fourth- and fifth-grade cheerleaders, as she has for a few years. Due to her obvious time constraints, she considered not volunteering this year, but she loves the girls, and the girls love her.

Raegan sat through my questioning while surrounded by a heaping helping of schoolwork. She was hopeful that later she might “actually have a few hours to relax,” but she was dubious about her chances. She hasn’t even watched TV since school started.

Raegan’s energizer is her future - “All of the goals I set for myself when I was 12, I want them to come true.” She has her eyes on the prize, which might mean that she won’t eat a strawberry-topped waffle until after Homecoming, since she wants to “physically look her best” at that jiving juncture. Ultimately, though, her objective is not the title of Homecoming Queen. She wants to raise $105,000 for THON. She wants to attend a good college in a city.

Raegan sincerely just wants to help others, and she likes being happy herself. She describes herself simply: “I’m Raegan. I’m a person. I don’t like to be labeled by anyone.” And it’s hard to disagree with her.