The BRAVE platform has taught me about respecting others. Although we have flaws, it certainly does not define who we are. Most importantly, BRAVE has taught me about respecting myself. No matter how many people decide to tear me down, having the respect and self-love for myself rises me up to any challenge. With self-love, I push through barriers and know that I am worthy of great accomplishments in life.
One of my missions in life is to continue keeping the conversations around BRAVE alive. As the student President of two honors societies, I want to have presentations about BRAVE and hold a safe space for people to be themselves and share their experiences with bullying. All our experiences are valid and deserve to be heard and acknowledged. The most comforting feeling is knowing that you are not alone. By connecting each and every person together, we can collectively come together and be united.
Now everywhere I go, I carry myself with a BRAVE heart.

Talk about being picked on and bullied. Fitting in was not easy and there were so many days I wondered why I was there and if I was good enough. I loved hockey but many of my teammates were mean and it made me hate going. B.R.A.V.E, building respect and values for everyone, is the national platform for Miss High School America, and hits very close to home for me for this very reason. 
Being bullied changes you and makes you feel alone. This is not how anyone should ever have to feel and I am excited to have been given the opportunity to promote this positive anti-bullying message through MHSA. Here is how I want to spread the word, in addition to talking with local schools and youth I want to get the attention of someone who has inspired me and ask for his help. James Charles! Yup you heard me correct the famous social media icon and makeup artist. After being inspired by his story and makeup designs I want to challenge him to create different makeup looks to promote B.R.A.V.E and show the affects bullying can have on someone emotionally. I know its a big challenge, but I am up for it and think with his help and support we can reach so many young people. I am going to start with my own creativity and show through makeup how bullying shaped me and hope to get his attention! Nelson Mandela once said, " It always seems impossible until it is done!" I hope to remind everyone through my actions and words that kindness, diversity, and standing up for what is right will change the world. I believe Courage is contagious, so let’s do this! 

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.

As I look back at 2020, boy what a challenging year. I know for sure perseverance & persistence, are what was need to get past that year. It reminds me of my grandmother saying, “Tough times never last, but tough people do”.
As a scoliosis warrior and since my diagnosis I have become an advocate for Scoliosis awareness and prevention.
I was standing slanted, diagnosed and even wore a brace (14-16 hours daily).  As you can probably imagine, this came with a lot of questions, rude comments & ‘funny’ looks. I was even called Handicap & asked by others if in would now be placed in Special Education classes…all from wearing a brace?!
​Later on in on the year I got surgery. Ever since I went through the hard times of back surgery & recovery process I have been working on making my platform even bigger. 
Let it be known that June is national scoliosis month. But, every month I go to The Children's National Hospital in Washington DC, and give a presentation about Scoliosis Awareness and Prevention. The doctor has even asked that my family mentor & speak with other families about the spinal fusion surgery to help ease their anxiety & nervousness about surgery. That's just ONE of the ways I promote the BRAVE platform.

Something that everyone should always remember is that you never know what someone is going through. As my mother always says, “everyone has a story”. Even if we ask them about it, it shows people that they matter and they have a purpose. Kids often bully one another out of fear. They are afraid to ask what’s wrong, so instead they make fun of their peers for being different.

​As a teen who struggles with acne, I have always feared going outside without makeup and going to school on picture day. The B.R.A.V.E. platform has helped me through my insecurities and inspired me to help others through theirs. Society has created a world where kids grow up thinking they aren’t normal if they don’t fit the beauty standards social media portrays. B.R.A.V.E. helps kids with their confidence and shows everyone that they are beautiful inside and out. 

A huge problem is that adults often tell the victim that they shouldn’t let it bother them and to just forget about it. By doing this they are causing even more problems for the victim in the future, and without consequences, the bully is going to continue making fun of people. 

I believe that we need to start at the root of the problem and teach young kids how to be kind to everyone and teach them how to respect others. Rather than waiting too long until it’s too late and having the kids grow up to be bullies. By doing this, we can decrease the number of bullies and in return, the number of victims as well. 

The High School America system teaches young girls all about B.R.A.V.E. and to promote B.R.A.V.E. across America. I have always been passionate about spreading awareness on bullying and now I can share this platform with all of you. 

If everyone chose to be kind the world would be a much better place and one we could be proud of. I encourage you to do or say one kind thing to someone each day. You would be surprised how much you can change someone’s life by being kind to them. Not only are you making someone else feel good, being kind makes you feel better about yourself and causes that person to pay it forward and creates a chain of kindness. Challenge yourself to be kind everyday and soon enough it will feel natural to always help others. 

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I have been a victim of bullying a couple times and the most recent one was this past year, my freshman year of high school. I had been friends with this group of girls since elementary school and one day they decided that they didn’t want to be friends with me anymore. They started talking about me behind my back and treating me poorly. I was blind sided because I had no clue what I did and this is the worst nightmare of a freshman in high school. Still to this day I have no reason for why they did that. However, instead of letting that bring me down I rose above the bullying, had a couple friends that stood by my side and started making new friends. Now I can finally say that I feel my small group of friends will always be there for me.

​Last year, I was fortunate enough to win the title of Miss Oregon High and now I have the opportunity of going back to nationals representing New York. Being able to spread the BRAVE platform for the last two years has been amazing. I feel that it is so important to educate the children of today’s world on bullying so that we can help put a stop to it and educate people on the effects of bullying, why people bully and much more. I recently started a series on my Instagram page called “Izzy's BRAVE Talks” and that is where I do weekly videos that focus on different topics related to the BRAVE platform. Head on over to @missnewyorkhigh to see my first video and learn more about bullying! 

Having the ability to connect with the community with B.R.A.V.E. has opened so many doors to begin very necessary conversations. Students get excited to learn and be a part of something (even if it is currently virtually). My personal platform of women’s empowerment has its footing in what B.R.A.V.E. stands for. Starting at a young age, we all must love and accept ourselves to be able to know who we are and why we are important. Finding those values within ourselves makes it possible for us to find those values within others as well!
Never did I expect to see how much B.R.A.V.E. has empowered my fellow titleholders to make a difference but also a change in myself. Connection is something we really need to foster more of in 2021 and I am honored to represent this organization and B.R.A.V.E to make a difference!