Throughout the last month or so that I’ve been in college, I have met so many new people and have made so many amazing friends. Everyone has been so incredibly nice to me. But one thing I noticed is that everyone is so respectful and they don't judge me.

Throughout my entire life, I was always judged by people. Throughout my elementary and middle school years, I was always bullied and judged by everyone. I only had a couple of friends in elementary school and I left my first middle school with no friends at all. People always made fun of my weight, the way I looked, how poor I was, what I wore, etc. I was shouted at in the halls, spit on, threatened, jumped, and much more. During all of that I started getting very depressed so I switched schools.

Once I moved, things did get easier. I made some friends and wasn’t bullied as much. But when I was made fun of, it affected me extremely and triggered my depression. In high school it was the same. But even my friends in high school judged me and anything I would do. I kept a lot of things to myself and even some of the things my high school friends would do would trigger my depression, especially if we would get into a fight. So by the time I graduated, I was pretty used to being judged. That is just what I thought a friend was.

After graduation I stopped talking to a lot of my high school friends and only had a few main ones. When I first started college, I was so scared. I was terrified that I wasn’t going to make any friends and that I would be bullied like I always was. But within the first week I made a ton of new friends and everyone has been so nice and accepting of me and who I am, who I love, my beliefs, etc. I am able to be my true self around them and I can’t wait to spend the next four years with them. So, to the incredible new friends I met at college, thank you. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and not judging me and what I believe in. I cannot wait to spend my college years with you all.