2026 – Sarah Hammond – Nuames North HS

The mind of a middle school girl.

Most everyone in their lives has gone through a phase of rebellion against their guardians, and this phase is commonly in the teenage years, especially in middle school. This phase hit me while I was in middle school, specifically in the 8th grade; my body was going through changes I did not understand, and I thought my biggest enemies were my parents but in reality my biggest enemy was myself. During this phase I was battling with mental illnesses, suffering from self harm, and thoughts on ending myself; I had these thoughts because I thought life was not worth living and I asked myself everyday what impact do I make in this world? And like every other teenage girl I was battling with self-imaging, Am I too fat? Why is my face like that? My nose is to big. Just all the little inconstant things on my body, I would overthink about. And on top of all of that, I had a boyfriend at the time, which he was sexually abusing me, I didn’t know it at the time, because I thought that was love.  Now that I am a senior in high school, and I have grown out of my rebellion phase, my parents are my best friends, I am no longer facing those negative thoughts, and I have graduated from therapy which helped me deal with my sexual trauma. I ask myself everyday now, how did I overcome all the stuff I was going through in middle school, and I have now realized there was a little part of me that still hung on even at the hardest times; This little part of me knew that is was going to get better as long as I kept on trying. Once I opened my mind that my parents are not my enemy, it’s actually me, I opened up to them and they got me help that I needed; if it wasn’t for my parents and their help I wouldn’t be here today.