To my high school peers,

Because I did go to 2 different high schools (one my freshman year and one for my last 3 years), this is directed at the peers I interacted with longer. There’s something so completely intimidating about a blank canvas with which I can write anything I want. 3 years of bullying from my peers and now I am at a point in my life where I can write an open letter to them. There are so many things I’ve wanted to say, but there’s one that sticks out above anything else.

I forgive you.

I forgive you for belittling me. I forgive you for countless moments of harassment. I forgive you for being close-minded. I forgive you for assuming things about me that were false and refusing to hear the truth. High school is a weird time for everyone. We were all learning in our own ways. I can’t explain why you decided to learn and grow by putting myself and other people down, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. It took a very long time to come to terms that what you did to me wasn’t a result of what I did, but what you lacked. You lacked the experience and empathy to understand the consequences of your actions, and that’s okay.

Some people take a shorter amount of time to grow up, others take a little longer. Regardless of the amount of time, we have all grown up past that stage in our lives. I am at a point in mine where I have learned to move on and to make something of myself. I’m not sorry to say that I didn’t listen to your cynical words your mouths spewed at me every day there. I took those words and used them as a stairway to climb so high. Every second of emotional and mental turmoil my high school peers put me through have finally given way to so much maturity, empathy, and understanding.

I don’t think half of my peers realized then, or even now, the extent of which their words resonated with me. Considering some peers to this day continue to try and knock me down, I doubt those few will ever grow up and understand. That’s okay, too. I endured those long 3 years and have used it to my advantage.

I have pulled everything positive from my experiences out in order to make me a better person.

Of course, I was no angel in high school either. I have taken the poor choices I made and grew from them and became a completely different person. I've even gone as far as to apologize to many of my peers for my actions in high school. There are countless people from my old high school who keep grudges against me to this day and still will try to knock me down, and that’s okay. I am above that point and I am above those people. I pray to God each night that they realize the impact that their words can have and hope they can change.

To the rest of my high school peers that do not hold grudges and still try to knock me down unsuccessfully, I forgive you. 100% entirely forgive you.

Sincerely,

A Changed Girl