Last month, I had the honor of speaking at my middle school alma mater’s TEDxYouth Art’s Conference. Given the audience, I chose to discuss some of the battles I faced at that age, and continue to face. I am terrified of public speaking and was sick for weeks over the prospect of getting up on this stage, but in the end, it was worth it. People laughed and some people even cried. Most touching of all was speaking with the children afterwards. Several kids approached me, thanked me for saying what I said and told me about their own middle school struggles. That alone made the whole experience exactly as special as it was.
I said it then and I’ll say it now, #middleschoolsucks.
