High school was arguably the best and also the worst time of my life. It's where I made some of my best friends, but also where I was sometimes judged and dealt with borderline social anxiety. I've never really had the guts or heart to talk about this to anyone because I've never really known how, or even what, to say, or how to even put my experience into words. Don't get me wrong, I didn't have it too bad because there were definitely people who had it worse. However, some things I dealt with in high school have definitely followed me around wherever I go, and I think it's important to let others know how to deal with it because maybe you're going through the same thing. This is hands down the hardest thing I've ever written, so please try to keep any feedback positive!

All my life I've always been kind of shy when you first meet me, but once you get to know me, you'll forget that I ever was shy. In high school some people who didn't really know me too well thought of me as awkward, shy, and maybe even weird for "not talking." I was judged for it, and I was always aware that I was being judged, even at a younger age. Starting in about 6th grade, I was known as the shy girl who never talked, and I was just so used to people thinking of me as that girl that I actually believed what people were saying. It's hard being shy because people think they can just walk all over you and have it be okay because obviously you're not going to say anything. So all throughout high school I was taken advantage of, walked over, and judged for no reason. I can recall a few times I heard a couple girls that I barely even knew calling me "awkward" without even knowing me, and calling me a "slut" just because I was wearing a skirt---the same length skirt every other high school girl owned. There were other scenarios I can't even talk about, and too many of them, but that's not what this article is about.

This article is supposed to be about how to overcome all of this, and how to become a better person because of it. I would be lying if I said that there weren't any positive aspects that came out of being treated like that in high school. First off, I learned to be a more caring and empathetic person. I was nice to everyone because it helped me realize that there's honestly no reason to treat others badly just because they're different from you. Also, going into college, I learned to reinvent myself and take risks. I started off at a college all the way in Buffalo, almost 6 hours from my home, where I knew nobody. It was hard for me at first, but being there and learning that I'm not the person my high school says I was helped a lot, and I met some pretty awesome people there because of it. I'm still learning and growing, but that's what life is all about; it's about overcoming your personal roadblocks and becoming a better person than the people that have tried putting you down. I can honestly say I am a 100% different person that I was 4 years ago, and I couldn't be happier. But this was a letter to all the beautiful people who are going through/have went through the same thing. I hope this helps.