From Kindergarten to the end of 9th grade, I was bullied. There would be days where I was treated like a nobody and nobody talked to me. Those were the good days. On bad days, it would range from being called certain things to being pushed into lockers to my stuff being moved away from a lunch table to where I had to sit and eat lunch by myself. Sometimes I would be tripped in the hallway and get my stuff knocked out of my hands. Did the teachers do anything about it when I reported it? No. They couldn't have cared less. They did nothing to help me.

I was the kid in the back of the classroom who didn't talk to anybody. I was the kid who stayed near the wall to feel protected. I was the kid who got all A's and B's in elementary school. They made fun of me for a lot of things. One thing being that I have always been an old soul. I act older and more mature than my age. I have an older taste in music. I like a lot of old-fashioned things. I think and act like I'm probably 60 something even though I'm not. They made fun of me for being tall. I'm 5'8 now. Maybe 5'9. They always made fun of me for being the tallest in the class. They made fun of me for being in orchestra. They made fun of me for wearing glasses. They made fun of me for getting A's and B's. 9th grade, I started realizing that I AM a modern day hippie. And there's nothing wrong with that. But they made it out like it's a bad thing.

I was the kid to always love everybody no matter what. I don't care if you're rich or poor. I don't care what sexuality you are. I don't care what race you are. I don't care what the color of your skin is. I don't care if you're a boy or girl. I will spread the love even if you hate me. That's how I was raised and that's how I am.

Now, I realize that the bullying made me who I am. I am a loving person. Like I said above, I don't care what your race is, what color your skin is, what your sexuality is, what your gender is. I will accept you for who you are because I KNOW what it's like to not be accepted. I am a second stand first violinist in my high school orchestra. I have an IQ of 121, which is above average. I'm working on bettering my IQ. I play guitar in a band. I also play the piano a little in my free time. I'm in a group called Live Wire, which is an orchestra put together with a rock band. We take songs (like this year we did Spectrum of the Sky by Break of Reality, Kashmir by Led Zeppelin, Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, and Final Countdown by Europe), memorize them, and put choreography to them. So we're not just sitting behind stands. No. We're playing the songs from memory and dancing while we play them. I'm currently in my school's production of Calamity Jane. I'm looking to join my school's choral group Rhapsody in Blue. I'm looking to join ASTRA (volunteer program) and Big Brothers Big Sisters. And honestly, I believe that I strive to reach for my dreams to show the people who tried to tear me down back then what I am worth.

So what I'm saying is that you shouldn't let these people push you down. Kill them with kindness. Spread the love. Instead of fighting someone, walk away and be the better person. Things will get better. I speak from experience. I promise that they will.