Some of the students at the San Francisco International High School have only been in the country for a short time, but they are already tackling difficult topics that transcend borders. Each student has selected a “Change maker,” someone who, in their eyes, is solving the problems these students care about most. In this ongoing series, the students first write about themselves and why they selected their change maker. The profiles of their heroes will follow.
Bullying can make children feel depressed and powerless, and a majority of students in America report witnessing bullying at their schools. Students often feel poorly supported by adults and teachers who do not intervene to prevent bullying. These are two of the students who have selected a change maker working to reduce bullying. Here’s why:
Carlos Diaz
Hello my name is Carlos Diaz. I’m from El Salvador, I’m 14 years old, and I’ve lived in this country for three years. My group and I are studying the issue of bullying.
The reason that I chose this problem is not because it is easy to explain or that I did it for a good grade, it is because bullying is one of the most horrible things that anyone has to suffer. For some people, bullying is funny or normal or just a game to play, but bullying has affected my life a lot because I have been bullied.
It all started in fourth or fifth grade when I was going to start a new school. I was so scared because I didn’t know anyone. At the school there was a group of boys who always told lies about me or said that I was gay or stupid. At lunch time, they always pushed me and I never did anything. I just let them keep bullying me. In the moment I didn’t know bullying existed or what it was called. I just remember that at lunch I always wanted to cry or talk to someone but it was worthless I didn’t know what to do. I just hoped that it would end but it has never ended for me.
Alan Li
My name is Alan. I am from China. I am 16 years old. I’m a quiet boy and I like playing badminton.
This problem is important for me because I had an experience with this problem. When I was 10 years old in 4th grade, one classmate laughed at me and then a lot of classmates followed him and laughed at me too, but I didn’t know why. I felt very lonely and sad. My friends started being less and less friendly with me.
The bullying lasted about two and a half years. That time made me just want to study by myself, play by myself and so on. After about one year, I adapted to their laughing and I ignored them. They couldn’t find any reaction from me so they stopped laughing. I started to make friends with old and new classmates. Now, I have a lot of friends.