We Are All Daniel Cui
Daniel Cui was a freshman soccer goalie from Hillsborough, California. During his first season, a lot of students were blaming him and bullying him online for his team losing all of their games. To show support for Daniel, his teammates and dozens of other students changed their Facebook profile pictures to one of him making a great save. Others tagged, liked, and commented on the photo posts to encourage and cheer Daniel on. He came back the following year and played with a new sense of confidence, helping his team to many victories. This shows what can happen when we demonstrate to others we believe in them and build them up, rather than hate on them and tear them down. You'd want others to pull for you, wouldn't you? Stand up for what's right whenever you see someone being targeted – and get your friends to step in as well. You never know how huge a difference you can be to someone's life! You can view Daniel's story here.
When i was in high school, i went through an extremely rough time. When i first arrived to high school on the first day of grade 8 i was excited, nervous and scared (in the end, i was scared for all the right reasons). My friends from primary school said that i would hang out with them on the first day. However when push came to shove, the girls that were so called my friends, found another group of girls on the first day to hang out with, and i was left with nobody. Just me, all alone on the first day of high school. I met up with a girl called Shannon* on that first day as she was in my home room class. She was nice and invited me to hang out with her and her group. Little did i know what i was getting myself into? Weeks went by and the girls were discussing topics i had not even discussed with my parents before.. Sex, boys (the things i just was not into at the time. Peer pressure got the better of me. They were all teasing me because i had not had sex and i didn't have my period. I wasn't classified as one of them, because i didn't have my period. I felt left out. So i pretended to have my period so the teasing stopped. That weekend i was invited out to a party, and i begged my parents to let me go, because i was struggling to make friends. "Yes as long as your home by ten". My heart raced with excitement. I met Shannon and the girls at this person place and i was amazed to see things i had never even imagined. Drugs, sex and a whole lot of craziness." Try some pot" Shannon said. "No thanks, not really interested". She punched me in the face, a range of anger bursted out of her. "Try it, or u mas well leave". (If i had known then what i know now, i would have just left. I tried it and the effects were that bad i was taken to hospital. Shannon had punched me so hard across the face, i had internal bleeding to my brain and the effects of the pot made me out of control. These girls made me cut my hair, try drugs, drink excessively and have sex early in life- just so i could be accepted. Girls, and boys, DONT FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO BE ACCEPTED WITHIN A GROUP, BE YOURSELF AND DO NOT LET PEER PRESSURE GET THE BETTER OF YOU. That is my story, and i am just hoping somebody out there can read this, and find that you don't have to do everything to suit everybody else. Be true to yourself.
17 year-old girl from Australia