I was bullied since I was a child in elementary school up until the day I graduated high school...the VERY day the graduated. That's right. At my graduation ceremony the boy who announced the names of the people who would come on stage and receive their diplomas was a boy who had bullied me many times in the past, and even though he knew my name quite well, he purposefully "mispronounced" my name for all to hear, including my friends and family. This was supposed to be one of the proudest days of my life, and because of one bully, the memory of my high school graduation will always be surrounded by a dark cloud of embarrassment. This horrible experience, and many others, still haunt me today. I have nightmares about my bullies. I am 23 years old. Recently, an employee where I work, a man who is the same age as me, has been bullying me. I am almost baffled by what is happening to me. When we are being bullied in school, the people that love us tell us that things will get better, and they do. Please believe me when I tell you that THEY DO. However, there will always be people, even adults and people your own age, who will try to make you feel that you are not welcome, that you are ugly, that you are weird, that you are a lesser person, etc. You just have to remember that these bullies are not worth the time of day. No matter who you are or what you believe in, you are beautiful. I guarantee it. I too remind myself that I am not everything that my bullies (and current bully) say that I am. I am beautiful and I have so much to contribute to this world, and the same is true for you. I plan to confront this man who is bullying me. If he does not stop, I will tell my supervisor about his disrespectful behavior. You have to reach out. You have to protect yourself. You have to believe in yourself. You have to be true to who you are. You have to stand up for yourself, now and forever.