“I’ll admit it. Growing up, I was a bully. Looking back on my elementary and middle school years, that’s disgusting. You can’t be proud of something like that.

“It probably had to do with my situation. There was only my mom to rely on for me and my four brothers. We lived place to place. We didn’t really have money to pay for clothes or shoes, or things like toys at Christmas.

“You feel bad about yourself. And when you’re so young, you’re not mature enough to understand that you’re supposed to be grateful for the things that you do have. So I would try to make other people feel smaller than me. I guess I felt like I needed to do anything to survive.

“I remember making fun of a guy because he wore the same outfit to school two or three days in a row. Of course, that was silly. I had been in that same situation because my mom couldn’t always afford laundry soap, or we didn’t have enough quarters to go the laundromat.

“Around freshman year in high school, I got sick and tired of feeling bad about myself. So I made a point of trying to compliment somebody every single day. Like, I wanted this girl to know that her makeup looked pretty. I wanted this guy to know that his shoes looked really cool. I wanted people to know that others noticed them.

“By doing that, it started making me feel better. Then, with the help of therapy, things started changing. I began building up my self-esteem, constantly reminding myself that I am worthy and that I can make a difference. It’s a new outlook on life.

“I’m not a bully anymore. But I will not hesitate to put someone in their place if need be.

“The golden rule that I stand by is to treat people the way you want to be treated. If someone happens to give me an attitude and I give them an attitude back, I will have to reset the next day.

“Overall, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I give them a second chance, or even a 42nd chance. It doesn’t always work out. But I keep trying.”

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“My parents were immigrants from the tiny island of Saint Lucia. They came to Baytown in the late ‘70s. We were very poor. We lived in a trailer park. I was the last of three kids. My mom had a home birth, so I was born in our trailer.

“When I was growing up, materialism and your place in society — like how much money your parents made — was very important to some people. And if you didn’t measure up, they truly didn’t care to get to know you. Not because of anything you did, but they just didn’t want to be associated with you.

“I was being made fun of really bad, mostly in middle school and high school. No matter what I tried, nothing worked. They were not shy in telling me, ‘Oh, you’re always going to be poor. You’re never going to end up doing anything in life.’ And I would think, at that young age, how could you possibly know? The audacity of it all. I just couldn’t imagine.

“I was angry a lot. But I knew that once I was older and able to get away from that environment, things would get better. I thought, if I could just get to college, things would be different. And they were.

“I had a great college experience. I found folks who were interested in who I was as a person, and not how much money I made, what kind of clothes I wore, or how my hair looked.

“I earned my undergraduate degree and master’s degree in vocal performance. I started working and living in Houston. I created a path for myself as a professional singer. I didn’t forget about my past. But I did not let it weigh me down, because there weren’t people constantly in my life reminding me about it.

“It’s a shame that there are people who seem to thrive on feeling like they’re better than you. I don’t know if that’s something taught at home or what. I just wish the people who bully were a little more understanding. I wish they made an effort to know someone for who they are and not for what they may be lacking.”

— Julie Jackson

One of the people Julie met in college was her husband, Ali, a professional tuba player and teacher. Learn more about Julie, the singer.

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“The youth pastor at Old River Baptist Church asked if I’d be interested in helping lead a group for troubled teens called The Landing. After I heard a little about it, I said, ‘Absolutely.’ It’s for males and females in grades 6 through 12, and we’re averaging about 15 students per session. We’re trying to help these kids understand that what they’re going through right now is just temporary. They shouldn’t look at their teen years as their whole life. That can be pretty challenging for kids who are going through things like being bullied, who feel the need to harm themselves, or are involved in addictive behaviors like vaping.

“Bullying is a huge factor in schools these days, especially at the high school level. People say that it’s been around for years, but not like this. I mean, I was bullied as a kid. I was thrown in the trash can in the boys bathroom. But that’s nothing compared to what’s going on today. Now there’s social bullying, where someone can use an app to bully another person anonymously. You can’t track it back to whoever did it. They’re hiding behind their phones. And some of these kids are very mean. The things I’m seeing and hearing about, it’s so sad.

“No matter what they’re going through, I try to be that one solid person who is there for them, who will listen to their issues, and advise them as best I can. To be honest, this whole experience has kind of helped me to be a better parent. I talk to my own kids more. I spend at least 30 minutes with them every night. I tuck them in — even my 16-year-old. I lay next to him, and I’m like, ‘How was your day? What’s going on?’ I think it’s more important than ever to just let them know that I’m there for them.”

— Cissy Clearo

(Photo by Olivia Garza/Liv’s Looking Glass)

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“I want to be a songwriter and music producer. I also want to start a record label. I know those are big goals and will take a lot of hard work and dedication, but it’s my passion.

“I even have a name for my label: I’m Here Records. It comes from my favorite movie, ‘The Color Purple.’ There’s this part where the main character, Celie, is leaving her abusive husband, Mister. He tells her, ‘You’re black, you’re poor, you’re ugly, you’re a woman, you’re nothing at all.’ And she says to him, ‘I’m poor, I’m black and I might even be ugly. But dear God, I’m here. I’m here.’ What I took from that is, I may not have all of the things that the world says I need to be successful. But I’m still here, and I feel like the universe has put me here for a reason. That’s why I’ve chosen the name, I’m Here Records, because of what it means to me.

“There are different people I look up to who have gone through really painful childhoods and other horrible things that were much worse than what I experienced. Seeing them rise above all of that and becoming successful in business and in their careers is really inspiring.

“What I would tell others is if you have a dream, go after it and never let anybody tell you that you can’t do it because of your race or your sexuality or whatever. I have a long way to go. But I’m confident that I can get through it all. I will come out on the winning side in the end. I will be successful.”

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“I was bullied in middle school because of my sexuality. I don’t talk about it much. But during those years, it was really hard for me. I went through a lot. Some days, I didn’t even want to live. I tried to commit suicide twice.

“The thing that helped me get through it all was music. On those days when I would be in my house crying, I would listen to certain songs that would uplift me. One of them was ‘Cold War’ by Janelle Monáe. In the song she sings, ‘This is a cold war. You better know what you’re fighting for.’ It was talking about different injustices in the world and how you have to stay strong. Not by physically fighting someone, but by being successful and just living your life, living in your truth. Another song that means a lot to me is ‘Golden’ by Jill Scott. The chorus is, ‘Livin’ my life like it’s golden.’ She talks about taking back your freedom, taking back your power from people who have done you wrong.

“I believe that songs like that really saved my life. They reminded me that I have a purpose. I knew that my life and God’s plans for me were much bigger than what those ignorant bullies were saying about me.”

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“I was premature, a seven-month baby. My mom said that I passed right after birth. My heart stopped, but they brought me back.

“I was in an incubator for 10 days. On the eighth day my heart stopped again, and they had to bring me back again. How long I was out both times, I don’t know. But I do know that lack of oxygen to the brain affects you.

“My hearing was damaged severely, along with my vision. I started wearing hearing aids at age 5. It was a body aid that I had to wear under my shirt. It was very uncomfortable. I hated that thing. I wore it until fifth grade when I got a behind-the-ear aid, which was kind of new technology at the time.

“Kids were tough on me. At school, they would push me down the stairs or slam my head against the wall. I got picked on a lot until I snapped one day and said, that’s it, no more. I got tired of having stomachaches from all the nerves.

“My hearing loss was severe at the time, but now it’s more profound. My right ear is about 95 percent gone as far as understanding. My left ear is about 90 percent gone. But I haven’t let it stop me.

“I guess I was destined to help other people. I’m a hearing health care practitioner. I’ve been in the business 41 years. I love what I’m doing. If you can change someone’s life just by hanging hearing aids on their ears or putting them in their ears, it’s amazing. It’s great to have that God-given talent to do that for another human being. It’s the greatest job in the world.”

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“I was an overweight kid, and I was picked on a lot. I wasn’t a very happy child. So somewhere growing up I made a conscious decision to be happy and to speak up when I see anyone else experience pain from bullying or taunting.

“Adults can be worse than kids sometimes. It really floors me. They can say and do hurtful things, and they can throw fits just like kids can. The difference is that usually nobody’s around to tell them, ‘No, that’s not right.’

“I guess that’s why I try to be a kind person. I know what the opposite feels like. I try to teach my kids that as well. I want them to be compassionate, to be thankful, and to love everybody.”

— Shona Saunders

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“Where we lived in New York, it wasn’t the best environment. We had trouble finding a good place where my mother felt safe, so we moved around a lot. My mom would always try to protect us and isolate us from certain people. I didn’t really mind. I always had fun. I only remember the good times, to be honest.

“Then we moved to Texas when I was 10, and I think that made me a little tougher. It took some time to adjust. I guess I was antisocial, or the kids here were just different or more mature than I was. It was hard making friends at first. Maybe it was the way I spoke. I had this little New York accent.

“And the way my mother dressed me was different. She liked overalls. A lot. So I was the girl with the weird accent and the overalls. Then middle school happened, and I began adjusting to my environment. I dressed accordingly with everybody else, and I guess my accent wasn’t as bad.

“Looking back on it, I wish that I wouldn’t have cared what other people had to say or think. I really took it to heart whenever kids would bully me for being different. Mom was always stressed and busy working, and my dad was as well. So at the time, I wished that I had an older sister or brother who could have been there for me.

“I’m the oldest of four kids. So now that my brother is 12 and in the sixth grade, he’s going through that weird stage of life. And I just keep telling him, hey, it’s OK. It happens to everyone. It’s normal. I just want him to know that he doesn’t need to be afraid and that he’s not alone.”

— Iris Chavez

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“Some boys were teasing her, making fun of her, and encouraging her to say things she didn’t want to say. We knew it would probably get worse in junior high than it was in fifth grade. She was very upset about that. I was planning to homeschool the younger kids because they got easily distracted and struggled to stay on pace in public school. When she heard us talking about it she said, ‘I want to do that, too.’

“As part of what we’re doing, I get to teach them how to learn for themselves. They can be very curious about everything. If they’re interested in a certain topic, I show them how to find what they want to know about it. We do supervised searches on the internet. We’re at the library once a week.

“Recently, since it’s been so nice outside, we’ve come here to the spray park in the morning to get some energy out. We have the freedom to do that. We spent a day at the Children’s Museum (of Houston), where they got to do science lessons and experience all kinds of interesting things. We just kind of go wherever the theme we’re learning about takes us.”

— Tonya Herrera

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