I Am Yasmin

Teachers and peers frequently disrespect other students’ identities. Students are mis-gendered or called by their dead name and they find themselves correcting the same people over and over. Frequently repeating your correct name and pronouns to the same people is tiresome and causes feelings of rejection. As a result, students feel

"Wow, I never knew someone could be so excited to speak to me." I said.

Well, she seems nice, Maggie thought. “Thanks, I'm new to the school, I actually came from Montana,” Maggie managed to get out. “Where should we start?” she asked, looking at the map.

In high school it was easy to judge someone without knowing them. Everyone knows something about a person they don’t even truly talk to and you would hear things about a person that had no source. This especially affected new kids who just arrived. Because no one knew them, any information about them spread very fast. In freshmen year I heard about this girl, who we’ll call Kate, through this exact situation of people spreading information about her.

Ms. Heyerdahl chuckled. "That you are. Well, come on in. I'll let Phoebe know you're here an-"

Over the years especially high school years you learn that judgement is a huge event. People will judge you for the way you talk, walk, dress, even the music you listen to. Although the words people say or call you can be hurtful, they’re just words. You can either chose to listen to them and be unhappy, or you can do you and later show them up. While they’re out at parties, you just might be graduating high school early.

However, the undramatic leap others would make when it came to their impressions of me without actually knowing me wasn’t flattering in the least. Teachers whom classes I wasn’t even enrolled in would cast judgment on me because of the people I had around me. They assumed I did not care about school or that I was not one to pay intention in class, their obvious disapproval of my person showing through the very pores of their face.

“Hey,” he said with a smile on his lips, “I heard that you’re the newest member, until next hour of course.”

Be the person to stop judging, insulting, and stereotyping. If you do judge someone else, keep it to yourself and don’t tell anyone, because if you tell someone, then it might spread and eventually gets to that person you judged. So stop judging people, because if you stop, them other people will

My misguided assumptions almost cost me losing one of the best friends deep inside I still felt afraid and insecure about myself and was afraid of what I didn’t know which led to a misguided judgment. Nowadays, I repeat that memory as a constant reminder of interacting with others different from me. It’s easy to make assumptions regarding strangers or even our best friends, negative assumptions lead to misunderstanding which can seriously render our ability to fully learn to accept and love each other for who we are despite our differences. I promised myself to take the time to fully comprehend what is being said and to allow for understanding on the opposing viewpoint, not rapidly jumping on an immediate conclusion based-upon a preconceived bias/assumption that may not be true. For as Nigerian writer Chinmamanda Adichie once said “It is impossible to engage properly with a place or a person without engaging in all of the stories of that place of that person” it is that distinct notion which I will follow through when put in a similar situation

In a young person’s life, it is essential to meet and interact with different people. These communications can be good for networking, gaining wisdom and even making deeper, personal connections. First impressions are everything. Thus, if an individual is perceived well the interaction will go right and if a bad impression is made, things will go left. These negative interactions could stop things from blossoming and hinder the good that could have come from the situation. But, people know. People can see things about another person that they cannot see within themselves. We’ve all met that one person in life who has won us over by doing one thing or another, and that thing,

Michael chuckles lowly at the awkwardness, but he returns the greeting: “Hi. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

"I'm Kelsey Welsh, we are in the Spring Garden's High School locker rooms." I replied anxiously.

Then the girl looked at Renata. She smiled! "Hi," the new girl said. She waved.

"Hey Ivy!" Daniah said as she scooted over slightly. Daniah had always let me sit by the window during the years. I smiled at her and responded,