Before she began her freshman year of high school, Dena’s family moved from a rural Iowa community to the wildly diverse Sioux City, IA.
“Moving gave me a chance to let go of the past and everything behind me.
” She left her bullies, for a chance at a new start with new perspectives.
Society tried to disenfranchise Dena by taking away her right of individuality. She was able to rise above it by staying true to herself and expressing herself as she chooses, no matter how society views her.
She tells others that are going through similar situations to “Take charge. Go to someone you trust and make the bullying stop. It will take some time, but if you keep putting it off because you're scared, it will only get worse.” Deana gives survivors these inspiring words, “Don't let people bring you down. You are worth more than their hurtful words and/or actions. Rise above it. In the end, life goes on, and bullies who once hurt you won't even matter to you.”
She wants bystanders and people witnessing injustices like these to “Stand up to the bully. No one, and I mean no one, deserves to feel that pain of being hurt.” The underlying cause of her bullying was others inability to accept those that do not conform to society’s beauty standards.
Dena’s message to society is, “You shouldn't judge someone on their looks. Just because someone dresses and expresses themselves differently from you, you should not degrade that person.”
Moving Forward
Secrets Divulged
By: Alexis Hundley
Are you allowing society to disenfranchise you?
Work Cited HERE
Message to Others
Summary
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