Hilary

Guest Submission

Then...

  • 13 years old
  • Cleveland, Ohio

Now...

  • 29 years old
  • Charleston, South Carolina
  • Happily married to the man of my dreams and working in sales.

My Story...

Starting in elementary school, I was picked on for being smart, nerdy, skinny and ugly.  I was pushed down and threatened and felt totally helpless.  In middle school, things worsened as my group of girl friends and I exchanged hateful insults and ganged up on one another, choosing a new victim each week it seemed.

The low self-confidence I earned during those years more or less followed me up through college, where I slowly came into my own and began to recognize my strengths and self-worth. I earned my masters in social work and, before moving, worked as a therapist with teenagers in an outpatient clinic and inpatient hospital.  I was able to relate to some of their struggles and felt that my experiences led me to be a better therapist and mentor.

I hope that I can pass on to my future children, nieces and nephews what I’ve learned about forming my own opinion of myself outside of what others think.  I hope they can understand that who you are is not a reflection of your physical appearance, for better or worse!

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