I had a lot of problems at home growing up. When I was about 5, my parents divorced so I was a bit of the odd kid out. I never really got along with the girls in my school.. there were a few times they made me cry saying that I'm bossy and the like. I ended up running to my guidance counsellor crying... it may have solved the problem... but I no longer had many friends. I used to get picked on for odd things... once when I had pink eye, they told me I looked like the devil. When I was about 10 my dad told me I was moving to a different school... I cried... even though I was alone... I didn't want to stomach trying to be in a different place. When I finally moved to my new school, at first I was embraced with open arms... but around middle school it started to sink in that there were people I couldn't trust... The popular kids always used to pick on me and fake asking me out... I was kicked out of a table of girls because they wanted some other girl to sit there instead of me. I was alone for while sitting with another girl named Jen. I always felt bad for Jen because she was bullied a lot more than me. We sort of distanced as friends after awhile, but I had heard that her bullying got so bad that she had cans thrown at her head and she eventually dropped out. There was another girl named Katie who I always used to see around, hanging out by herself... I remember this now and remain a bit disappointed in myself for not working up the courage to just be friends with her. Although I'd never join in in the bullying, I would always be to shy to engage with people. As school went on, I went to join different types of organisations like the Marching Band and Theatre. It was in these programs that I had a lot of friends. I think school would've been a lot harder with out these organisations to help me out and for the most part, none of the people who bullied me were in them so I could easily avoid them. If I could go back, I would've helped more and I think after joining this project, I will. I want my future kids to grow up knowing that it's not okay to make someone else feel small in any way. School's hard enough. I'd also like them to keep an eye out for anyone who seems like they're getting left out... and to reach out to them and I want to do the same instead of hiding like I did throughout school.