Asaria Lopez: Miss Kansas High School America

Being a part of Miss High School America, I have the opportunity to represent BRAVE(Building Respect and Values for Everyone). BRAVE is important to me because it represents what I have been through, what I stand for, and the impact I can make. BRAVE represents me because through my life I have experienced bullying at multiple levels. I was bullied in 2nd grade for what I looked like and who my friends were. I was a tiny little girl with a full head of short curly hair, and it was hard being that young and bullied for what I looked like. 
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To be honest, I was a tough little cookie in second grade. I made it a point to never let what she said get to me, but being bullied because of who my friends were hurt me more than anything. It got to a point where my friend and I wouldn't go to recess because we were bullied consistently. I eventually moved schools because the bullying got so bad. It was heartbreaking to leave my friends behind, but it benefited me in the long run.

 In 3rd grade I joined wrestling alongside my brothers. I absolutely loved the sport! Being the only girl in the room was nerve racking, but it helped me gain confidence. I remember being told by the boys in the room “girls can’t wrestle” “you won’t ever be as good as the guys”. And  I was determined to prove them wrong and I did. Fast forward to my eighth grade year; I was bullied again by two people who I thought were my friends. Each class they would write about me in the back of their planner. I never did anything about it for a while. One day they left the planner in class and I opened it to read what they wrote about me. It was horrifying. I remember reading things like “she isn’t even that pretty” “why does she even have any friends” “let's not talk to her at all anymore” “she should move schools” “no one even likes her”. I knew what they wrote were lies, however, what affected me most was the fact that I thought they were my friends, but the whole time they were faking it. 

Today, we constantly see people on social media being bullied for their appearance and where they come from. I was also a victim of this. When I first got musically, someone had left a comment on my video that said “she belongs on the other side of the wall”. During this time, the wall between the US and Mexico was being built. My dad is hispanic and I have a cacasian mom. Therefore, I am not 100% hispanic, but having a last name like “Lopez” shows I am of hispanic descent. Getting a comment like that opened my eyes like never before. I realized that no matter where I go or what I do, I will always receive hate. I also realized being able to come out the other side of backlash is important as well; from then on I kept a modo of “Keep your head held high and never let people tear you down”. I started not to care what people thought of me and I truly became a different person through my experiences.

Being apart of Miss High School America and representing BRAVE has given me the chance to share my story and what I learned from it. I have been able to talk to several schools and small groups about my story. I have helped young kids and teenagers open their eyes to realize respecting and valuing others; no matter who they are or where they come from, is of the utmost importance. I started “Find your Fire” which is a movement about who you are, who you want to be, and what makes you unique. When presenting, I have my participants cut out their hands and write “I AM {something}”. This helps them associate a word with who they believe they are. When you believe in yourself, who you are, and what you stand for no one can change or bring you down. When the kids finish I have them shoutout what they wrote, which helps show everyone listening that we are all unique, and we must respect and value each other for it.