When I was younger I use to be super shy and I would sit in the back of the class and do my best to keep myself away from everyone else. You see by doing this I thought I was helping myself , staying out of trouble, keeping away from the bullies , trying my best to be well, invisible. The truth is though it didn't help me in fact it made things worse. I found that because I didn't speak up everything got worse , I felt worse about myself, my body, who I was I wasn't in a good place and because I never said anything I stayed that way for a while. I find that theres a point in everyone's life where they meet their breaking point , for me this was in seventh grade during challenge day. As I said before, I use to be really depressed and sometimes I get that feeling like I'm not impossible, like I don't matter , that I'm just a spec living in this world. I'm sure some of you have felt that way too or do feel that way now, but the truth is there is always light at the end of the tunnel and for me challenge day changed my perspective of who I was . So here's how it worked and if anyone has ever been to challenge day then they know what I mean when I say how impactful it was . Okay, so my favorite part of challenge day wasn't just playing games such as "Cross the Line" and "The Name Game" but it was being able to sit a group with people who you didn't really know and say something personal. So being the shy person I was of course I didn't want to go. So when it came my time to talk I tried my best to ignore the question and be skipped. However, one of my teachers Mr.T (not saying his real name because it's privacy) made me go. Anyway, so when I went I struggled at first but then suddenly it just all kind of came out. I talked about how people would just make fun of me even though I didn't anything, how I felt like I was being trapped and forced to try to be something I'm not , I even admitted that my own family made me feel like I wasn't beautiful. At the end of it all I looked around and everyone was silent then suddenly Mr.T got up and hugged me and said, "You are more than just your looks you kind beautiful girl" and for the first time I had believed it. It was weird because I never thought anyone would say that to me , I mean the seventh grade version of me was so insecure about my body and staying out of everyone's way that I had forgotten what it meant to have a voice becauss I thought I didn't matter. You see the thing is that I am more than just a pretty face , I am a sarcastic, kind , funny , intelligent , strong , and beautiful young woman and I may not have always known it , but I am stronger because I was told I was more than a face or an image. It was from that point on that I became more vocal and I used my voice to make a difference and to show others that you also have a voice. My point is, that no matter how hopeless you feel , no many times you fall down, or face obstacles, remember that you have a voice and you are aloud to use it . Don't let opportunities past you by because you'll regret it , so use your voice and make a difference in someones life . Don't be afraid to speak up because it may be the best thing you can do for yourself and others like you.
