As a young girl, I dealt with bullying where people would call me names like "teachers' pet" and "ugly nerd." I moved schools frequently, but no matter where I went, I couldn't make friends because of my trust issues. As time passed and I began junior high school, I had built a wall mentally and was in constant defense in case people continued to bully me. I had to act tough to show dominance in order for other people to leave me alone. Once I came to Chinquapin though, I learned more about myself and began to lower my wall. It was hard to adapt at first and even though it took a few years for me to open up, I was able to be myself and to change for the better.

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Here at Chinquapin, students are given the opportunity to do research on a topic of their choice and create a project about their topic for their community. After remembering my bullying issues, I decided I would advocate for bullying prevention, through art, as my project topic. After much research, I learned that 69% of the people bullied are females and within the age ranges of 13-18. Bullying tears down a person’s sense of self-worth, leaving a void of shame, confusion, and misery within them. This can cause depression and anxiety in victims, leading to not only mental health issues but also higher percentages of suicide. After interviewing counselors and experts, I learned that one of the best ways to prevent bullying is through interactions. Activities like art, music, etc, help students interact and engage with others and can help raise their self-esteem. I learned that a type of art that has proven to be effective is fingerpainting. Fingerpainting allows people to connect with their senses, especially their sense of sight and sense of touch, which increases their ability to cope with emotions and have deeper conversations with others. For my project, I prepared an event in the Girls’ Dorm Study Room where I would host an Art Session for all girls interested in fingerpainting and interacting with others.

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In the future, I would like to participate with organizations like Girls' Inc. or The Counted Child by helping younger children with issues they may be going through. I have been looking for organizations or clubs within the colleges I have applied to so that I could join one and continue working on different projects to help people with mental health issues like bullying. I have already worked on a similar project with New Gen Peacebuilders and am hoping to continue my connections with this program for future opportunities to work with this organization as well.

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