Dear World visited the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on October 18, 2016. Hundreds of people came together to share their stories. Every one is unique. I picked a few of my favorites, contacted the people behind the photos and was given permission to use their names, stories, and photos. I asked each of them to tell me a little bit behind their photo. Each one of these photos is property of Dear World. The photos can be found on their Facebook page (UL Lafayette's album located here).
"When I was 15, something happened to me that I thought would never happen. We watch the news and hear stories about these awful things happening to women and we never for one second think that it will happen to us until it does... I spoke up. I broke my silence. And that's what I want every victim to do. Speak up and know that they aren't alone...There is help and it does get better... My one regret is not speaking up sooner about what happened to me, but I'm speaking up now: for myself, my friends, my classmates, and anyone who feels like they don't have a voice. I'm breaking the silence about sexual abuse." - Laura Williams
"Dealing with a divorce, my father losing his job, and a flooded home at the start of freshman year of high school can lead to a very stressful year. Dealing with depression going into some of the most important years of a kid's life is rough. Through times like this I found it hard to find meaning in life, often wanting to give up on everything. Looking at my father struggling to keep himself and my sister and I alive is what inspired me to continue my path to becoming a successful adult. Staying positive through the worst time and faking happiness is how I've gotten this far. I chose "stay positive" as my motto because it's the only thing I took with me to college."- Connor Stickley
"My identity is immeasurably more than how I perform, what I look like, what others think of me, or even what I think of myself. My identity is found in Jesus, and that is something that nothing in this world can touch."- Hannah Trahan
"Even though there are people out there that can not or will not get past their bias, that will not get in the way of my or any other minorities goals. From my perspective, people form opinions about African Americans based on preconceived notions gained from secondhand experience. I refuse to let that limit me in any of my ventures, and I want that mentality to be imparted to all minorities."- Juwan Woods
"I've always been judged for my size. I always looked at myself as though I didn't matter and I would never be successful. Today, I stand strong and confident in myself and my body. Your pant size says nothing about you, it's really about how you treat people and how much faith you have that will make a long lasting impression." -Haley Campbell
"The meaning behind this message is to not downplay the role fathers play in some kid's lives but it is to let those who are missing their father in their life know that not having an active father is not an excuse for you to not grow as a man. Yes, father figures are needed in boys' lives because they can relate better to them than their mother can when growing up in a single mother home. You pretty much learn the ropes of manhood through experience or just watching others from a distance. The mother will instill some traits of being a man in you the best way she can, but she can not make you a man. It is solely on you to become that man. Not having an active father figure in your life should not become a handicap and hold you down." -Brandon Lard
"I feel that we let too many people determine our paths in life. There have been many times when people have doubted me. They've said I couldn't do what I intended because I was a girl, or too small, or not old enough or smart enough. But they were wrong. We are all capable of so much more than we know, and we shouldn't let others' words stop us. We need to prove them wrong."- Ada Marion
"I'm only seen by the size of my body and not the size of my soul. This judgment I face has come from family, peers and your every day strangers. Certain family would not accept me for how I was and have even brought up the idea of surgery. Words of negativity, judgement, unacceptance, unapproachable, undesirable; I have felt all of these. I have experienced unspoken depression, self-inflicting pain and the thoughts of suicide because of this. I would tell myself, "Why did I deserve this? Just end it and I won't have to feel anymore. Others can feel guilty of why it has come to this". Sometimes I would take the pain I felt and direct it towards others. In some way, I thought it would make me feel better, but it did not. Sometimes I want to go to those individuals and tell them "I'm sorry"
because underneath I know I am not that person who bullies. It was only an act to show my resilience. There's so much you don't know about me beneath the surface."- Anthony Xanamane
"This is a quote from a book I read in high school that was very influential in my life called "The Seven Habits for Highly Effective People". However, it has only been since recently that I've learned the importance of this habit. I feel like people take so much time being on the defense or listening to respond, not listening to hear people out. It's a habit I've been trying my best to follow that has brought me more peace and hopefully if the world learns to put in the effort to understand people/their struggles/their pain/where they are coming from etc more, then maybe the world will know more peace as well."- Camille Barnett
"Telling my story through Dear World gave me the courage I needed to tell my parents about who I am. It's an incredible program and while my story meant a lot to me, it was even more moving to hear about the stories of others. Knowing that people have been through so much that we don't know about in the community surrounding us every day makes me inspired by the diversity and beauty inside every person at UL!"- Andrew Albritton
"In order to grow as a leader and become successful, you will have to endure challenges and it's what you do with those challenges that make you who you are!"- Kayla Hebert
"My parents were divorced and I had a pretty bad relationship with my dad for a while. In High School, three days before my freshman homecoming, he passed away. I already had depression beforehand, but his death worsened it. I wanted everything to end; the hurt, the chaos, even my own life. I finally built up the courage to go through his hundreds of journals and etc (he loved to write), and the first piece of his writing that I cam across was a tiny slip of paper that was ripped from a notebook that said, "You are only a failure if you surrender". His short message became some sort of mantra for me. It got me through my depression and I still constantly remind myself that surrendering is the only way I will fail, which I refuse to do."- McKensie McNeely
"In today's world, men are told to be emotionless and hard. That their masculinity depends on it. The words I decided to share are for my fellow men, as well as my beautiful women mind you, that emotion is NOT weakness. That you should embrace what you feel, they are the only intangibles you can articulate. To be strong in what you feel!"- Jordan Theriot
"Mental illness is not something that disappears overnight; it's years of accepting yourself as you are and learning to overcome the lows to live through the highs. So many people lose the battle because of their fear of speaking out. Please realize that mental illness does not discriminate and can consume anyone. The negative social stigma attached to mental illness inhibits those who do suffer far more than we realize."- Cassidy Landry
"I have social anxiety when it comes to interacting with people. I begin to feel calm when someone "shares a smile". When they do, I feel more in touch with the world instead of just standing there worrying about what they think. It makes the interaction more friendly. Also, today the word is really negative or tries to paint people a certain way. It's as if the world is dehumanizing someone or a group."- Wesley Harris
"After being sexually assaulted my freshman year, I was not believed by police because my story was "too inconsistent." A report was never filed and I was to embarrassed over what had happen in that police station to do anything about it. A year and a half later, I went through training to be a crisis line advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and violence in my community. I learned that my experience with law enforcement was not entirely uncommon, and that side effects of immediate trauma include confusion surrounding negative experiences. No matter the outcome, I did the right thing by going to the police station that night. Never be ashamed to seek the resources you think will best help you when you are the victim of a crime."- Rachel "Eden" Abraham
"Mental weight can be just as heavy, if not more, than physical weight... At one point in my life dealing with my own and other people's problems felt like 5x's more than anything I've ever loaded on a bar, and there were times I wanted to quit. Between losing friends, loved ones, school... What I wanted to be, what people think I am, what I should be... I had to realize that I didn't have to go through it alone. I had to realize that I had great family, great friends, and that I didn't have to feel like I had to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders alone."- Kyle Duplantis
"My dad passed away on October 8th. Growing up, my parents were divorced and I was my dad's only child. He was my best friend! Throughout his life and my high school career he battled with various health issues. From Hep C to Cirrhosis of the liver, 4 elbow surgeries, breaking his humorous bone, and then being diagnosed with cancer this past summer. I was the one who had the responsibility of taking care of him, even being a high school student. It was a hard time and he always told me how upset he was that he could never get me what I wanted due to his income. This quote mean so much to me because even though he says he wished he could have given me what I wanted, he gave me so much more. He gave me life, confidence, understanding, and a loving heart. I am exactly who I want to be and am supposed to be because he was who he was:a loving father, a best friend, a compassionate God Fearing man, who even in his last moments had faith that everything would be fine. I am because he was and I know that I will always be because he lives in my heart everyday of my life!"- Brittany Creel
Everyone has a story. These were just a few of the hundreds of photos taken and stories told on October 18, 2016. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the photo shoot, this article, and most importantly, Dear World for attending our university and giving us this amazing opportunity.
