In life we all have our doubts and fears when it comes to what we do and what we want to do. There have always been those people who cut you down, for reasons no one really understands. In this day and age, we often hear of young kids who become depressed and commit suicide because of the technology that is supposed to distract us from our other problems and keep us in touch with others. As someone who was cyber-bullied, it is very rare that I speak out on the topic. But after a much needed conversation with a friend, I was inspired to shed some light onto not just cyber-bullying but the stigma that follows those who are bullied and torn down in general.

In high school I took on a multitude of leadership roles in my drama department, dance company, and the school swim team. I naturally loved to lead and hold these positions, but there were those who (even though it seemed completely false at the time) were jealous of me. Their best idea to attempt to tear me down? By bullying me, both online and off.

I would be shunned by those who used to be my "best friends" to the point where they wouldn't even look at me when I passed them in the halls of my high school. They talked behind my back and spread crazy rumors about me. But the real issues started to unfold when they took to an online journal, called me out by name, and would write awful comments and things I had told them in confidence for the whole world to see.

I didn't find out there were writings about my life and how "horrible" I was until about a month of weekly journal postings. I felt so exposed and like everyone knew all the most terrible things I thought about myself. I would go into meetings, rehearsals, and practices where I needed to lead and have fellow classmates whispering about me.

Looking back now, these events which transpired over one of the hardest years of my life, I couldn't believe how much I have grown. These people who wrote and said horrible and disgusting things about me taught me how to push through and believe in myself. It made me stronger when I didn't know I would need it. I still look back today and instead of the depression and the struggling I felt then, I feel so proud and strong.