Hi, my name is Logan West, and I am Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen 2010.
When I was in the 7th grade, I was bullied by a classmate for "not acting my skin color". For six months I was called names and tormented by a girl only a few months older than I was. She constantly picked on me for the way I spoke, the way I dressed, almost everything about me. I didn’t know why she didn’t like me or what I could do to stop her.
I tried ignoring her…but that didn’t work. The names she called me really hurt – and it was getting to me every day – even though I tried not to show it. Sometimes, I would even smile or laugh along….but I sure wasn’t laughing on the inside. I started losing my ‘friends’ and feeling very low inside.
At first I didn't want to tell my mother what was happening because I thought the whole thing would blow over…and I didn’t want to look like a snitch. One day when I came home crying, I couldn’t keep it inside anymore…so I told my mom. She spoke to my school counselor…I wish I could tell you that was the end of it…but it didn’t end there.
A few weeks later things got WAY out of hand. During our lunch period the other girl threw food from her table to mine. For a half an hour I sat with my friends and got chewed up carrot, pieces of rice, and chunks of quesadilla in my lap, hair, and on my own lunch tray. I was embarrassed and really angry. So as I walked to the trash can I threw a handful of rice at her….you can imagine the rest from there. BOTH of us got suspended.
So what did I learn? (1) Staying silent doesn’t help, (2) Get help when you need it, (3) and there are good ways and not so good ways of handling yourself and confronting the bully.
This experience helped me start “BULLY PROOF” so that every kid has the tools to make a difference.
The Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen Program is a part of the Miss America's Outstanding Teen (MAOT) Program which acts as a little sister program to the Miss America Organization. This title has given me the opportunity to share my story and give my presentation in lots of area schools. Bully Proofing our schools creates SAFE schools.
