Stand up and Let Your Voice Be Heard

I'm a Vietnamese college student (now), who experienced bullying. It began in freshman year of middle school. There was a group of boys and girls who happened to be in three of my classes. First, the bullying started with a girl. She'd made fun of my outfits, looks, color, and race. At first I didn't know how to handle this situation because I thought to myself "Why would anyone treat another like this?" I didn't know how to approach her in a way that wouldn't cause any more trouble, so I kept pretending nothing happened. A few weeks went along, I noticed that other students who were friends with her started teasing me. No they didn't harm be physically, but they hurt me mentally. I had my feelings destroyed. I didn't know what to do at the point because the situation gotten worse. I was too afraid to tell my parents or the counselor. So all I did was ignoring the fact these bullies where destroying me and making my opportunity to graduate middle school. During the same year, there was another group full of girls. Yes, they teased me. One day I was on Facebook, and I commented on a girl's photo because they weren't being polite. Soon after, I was cyberbullied by her because I was saying it wasn't okay to be disrespectful and that she should be grateful for what she has in life. Little did I know, she attended my middle school and became friends with the bully from sixth grade. This continued into seventh grade.

Moving onto seventh grade, a few weeks into science class, there was this new student. We had an in-class project with our team. While I was doing my tasks, I notice she was having trouble with the equipment, so I approached her asking if she needed any help. I thought that she'd appreciate the help and maybe we could be friends or something. Instead, she said "no thanks" with an attitude and rolled her eyes away. I walked away and continued my part. A week later, I heard rumors about me, in science class and in the hallways. I thought it was caused my the bullies from sixth grade but it wasn't this time. It was the new girl from science. She said I was a freak when I offered help in class and that I judged her for the way she dressed. None of this was true. I knew she was jealous of the way I dressed, the way I hold myself up, and how confident I am. I wasn't gonna let her bring me down, so I went to the counselors and told them about my situation. When this happened, my hands were sweaty, and I got nervous because I didn't know what to expect. Just when I thought it'd help, it didn't. The situation gotten worse to the point where I just wanted to transfer to another school, but I didn't tell my parents about this. This continued into freshman year of high school in photography class. As I experienced this situation from middle school, It was time for me to stand up for myself. I told this girl it wasn't okay to spread rumors, that i wasn't okay to bring others down just because she wasn't happy.

Yes, these years wasn't easy and I had to face tons of problems, but I only gotten stronger from the hate. If i could go back in time I'd handle bullying a different way. In a way that people know it's not okay to disrespect others, and that they understand they need to treat others the same way they want to be treated. I now attend an art school majoring in fashion marketing for my BS degree, have a bright future ahead of me, and help others who were, or are in, this kind of situation.