hello I’m Ali Miller Oh hold on
sorry I have to get this really
important and I promise that was me ten
months ago I was a 15 year old girl so
eager to be accepted by her peers to
this digital world it all started the
summer for my sophomore year of high
school when I got the text I was on a
vacation up to the Upper Peninsula with
my family and when I swiped off my phone
my eyes lit up with the words that it
said I turned to my brother was saying
right next to me it’s like I’m in I’m in
I am in probably borderline looking like
a madwoman at this point but that’s
besides it because what that text said I
thought was gonna change my life now
this text was from someone who I usually
didn’t talk to so I kind of was taken
aback by it and it was an invitation to
be added into a group chat with most of
the people that I had strived so hard to
be accepted by in my grade these were
the people that were envied and looked
up to by most of my peers and I was so
excited for the year to come that I
didn’t even feel the usual paying of
sadness and longing that summer was
ending what this text meant was I
thought that I was in that I was one of
them I was in on all the parties and all
the gossip I was in and I was one of
them but I didn’t realize was what I was
really in for what happened instead was
I was dragged into unnecessary high
school drama gossip backstabbing you
name it and as the year progressed it
only got worse things people started
leaving from the chat because they were
either a fed-up MIT or they were kicked
out I ended up being the ones that was
kicked out and I still to this day have
no idea why but I think it was me
because I didn’t agree with anything
that was going on
in the chat but I also didn’t disagree
it’s almost like my morals were blinded
by this feeling of being wanted and
accepted and after I was so distraught
from the inclusion of the group from
August to December that once I was
kicked out once I was kicked out I was
so in the state of just waiting and
hoping waiting and hoping I was waiting
for that feeling of acceptance to come
back and I was hoping for this be some
big misunderstanding but I was wrong I
feel in some way we all go through this
where we just are waiting for something
to happen like a state of social
comatose but instead of focusing on the
very things that are causing in our at
the root of our unhappiness we focus on
the very things that are causing the
voids in our lives now it worked out for
me because I was coming to this
realization at the end of my sophomore
year right before summer so I took the
opportunity and I step back I step back
away from my friends I step back away
from the group that I knew was wrong for
me and I just I spend time with who
matter most to me like my extensive
family I started focusing on being a
better role model for my younger cousins
and my siblings and I just I took time
for myself to you know I’ve always loved
to sing so I started taking voice
lessons and I’m gonna start singing in
my church band and I started focusing on
the relationships that mattered the most
to me and putting more of my effort into
those I over all started remembering who
I was
Allison Margaret Mitter you know a big
part of this change was I was just
sitting back and saying who was I
changing for because it wasn’t for
myself and it wasn’t for some greater
good and the key to discovering myself
was not easy but I found it I surrounded
myself with the people who love me for
myself
and that’s why I found the ultimate
comfort and acceptance I had so been
longing for you know those people tended
to be the people who are in the audience
right now my family and my friends who
came to support me I guess what I’m
really trying to get at here is if you
are not comfortable with yourself and
who you are you cannot possibly flourish
and grow to your full potential I’m very
proud to say that I am happier and
healthier than I’ve ever been in my life
and I’m embracing life challenges as
they come you know yes I may still
falter but as with anything it takes
time and now I truly encourage you to
this accept the challenge of accepting
yourself thank you
[Applause]
sorry I have to get this really
important and I promise that was me ten
months ago I was a 15 year old girl so
eager to be accepted by her peers to
this digital world it all started the
summer for my sophomore year of high
school when I got the text I was on a
vacation up to the Upper Peninsula with
my family and when I swiped off my phone
my eyes lit up with the words that it
said I turned to my brother was saying
right next to me it’s like I’m in I’m in
I am in probably borderline looking like
a madwoman at this point but that’s
besides it because what that text said I
thought was gonna change my life now
this text was from someone who I usually
didn’t talk to so I kind of was taken
aback by it and it was an invitation to
be added into a group chat with most of
the people that I had strived so hard to
be accepted by in my grade these were
the people that were envied and looked
up to by most of my peers and I was so
excited for the year to come that I
didn’t even feel the usual paying of
sadness and longing that summer was
ending what this text meant was I
thought that I was in that I was one of
them I was in on all the parties and all
the gossip I was in and I was one of
them but I didn’t realize was what I was
really in for what happened instead was
I was dragged into unnecessary high
school drama gossip backstabbing you
name it and as the year progressed it
only got worse things people started
leaving from the chat because they were
either a fed-up MIT or they were kicked
out I ended up being the ones that was
kicked out and I still to this day have
no idea why but I think it was me
because I didn’t agree with anything
that was going on
in the chat but I also didn’t disagree
it’s almost like my morals were blinded
by this feeling of being wanted and
accepted and after I was so distraught
from the inclusion of the group from
August to December that once I was
kicked out once I was kicked out I was
so in the state of just waiting and
hoping waiting and hoping I was waiting
for that feeling of acceptance to come
back and I was hoping for this be some
big misunderstanding but I was wrong I
feel in some way we all go through this
where we just are waiting for something
to happen like a state of social
comatose but instead of focusing on the
very things that are causing in our at
the root of our unhappiness we focus on
the very things that are causing the
voids in our lives now it worked out for
me because I was coming to this
realization at the end of my sophomore
year right before summer so I took the
opportunity and I step back I step back
away from my friends I step back away
from the group that I knew was wrong for
me and I just I spend time with who
matter most to me like my extensive
family I started focusing on being a
better role model for my younger cousins
and my siblings and I just I took time
for myself to you know I’ve always loved
to sing so I started taking voice
lessons and I’m gonna start singing in
my church band and I started focusing on
the relationships that mattered the most
to me and putting more of my effort into
those I over all started remembering who
I was
Allison Margaret Mitter you know a big
part of this change was I was just
sitting back and saying who was I
changing for because it wasn’t for
myself and it wasn’t for some greater
good and the key to discovering myself
was not easy but I found it I surrounded
myself with the people who love me for
myself
and that’s why I found the ultimate
comfort and acceptance I had so been
longing for you know those people tended
to be the people who are in the audience
right now my family and my friends who
came to support me I guess what I’m
really trying to get at here is if you
are not comfortable with yourself and
who you are you cannot possibly flourish
and grow to your full potential I’m very
proud to say that I am happier and
healthier than I’ve ever been in my life
and I’m embracing life challenges as
they come you know yes I may still
falter but as with anything it takes
time and now I truly encourage you to
this accept the challenge of accepting
yourself thank you
[Applause]
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