{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-story-js","path":"/story/a-road-back-to-m/","result":{"pageContext":{"data":{"id":"-facb2375-d065-5f39-ac6a-6c32906dcc8b","authorFirstName":"Melanie","storyTitle":"A Road Back to Myself","photo":{"asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/nr9digz2/production/2278059cc6cb59754f40c5d415f5b201a0042ebe-1500x1500.jpg"}},"audio":{"asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/files/nr9digz2/production/6a0e73eff3140025f947d9ffda3a8eea75021649.mp4"}},"secondLanguageAudio":null,"school":{"name":"Rhodes School ","city":"River Grove ","location":"Illinois"},"tags":[],"_rawText":[{"_key":"e3ee265c69ed","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e99f2cadf7340","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Pre-K through 7th grade, I was a very quiet and introverted person. I was the type of girl in class that wouldn’t talk to that many people and would sit with only a few people during lunch. I used to be in the class where all the spanish-speaking students would be since I spoke Spanish, but I actually understood English too. Many people would make fun of our class since we spoke Spanish. Since I was scared of what people thought of me, I tried to not talk as much."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"92988ac0ba7c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"306f7815ac090","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Everything was the same up until 5th grade. I ended up being separated from the class I was always with and the people I would always hangout with. I still had friends in that class, but I was not as close with them as I was with my old friends. I only saw my old friends during gym, lunch, and recess. Since I was separated from them and was put into a different class, I realized that I ended up being even more quiet than I already was. I found myself being scared of what people would think of me and all I wanted was to be back in my old class. Throughout my 5th grade year, I realized that I had made so many new friends and I felt so happy. Although I made new friends, some of them were very controlling. I found myself doing things I disliked to make others happy. I felt like I would get made fun of or bullied if I showed my true self and what I genuinely liked. Throughout my 5th-7th grade years, I kept being controlled by a group of friends. They had a bad influence on me, and I would do things I would have never done now. At that time, all I wanted was to have friends, and I didn’t even care if they were mean, controlling, rude, or manipulators because I just wanted to be liked by everyone in my grade. In 7th grade, I started realizing that the “friends” I had were definitely not my friends since they wanted me to do things I didn’t like. When I realized that they were having a bad influence on me, I started trying to separate myself from them. I used to cry a lot at night wishing that I was never friends with them because I thought I would be stuck with them as my friends forever."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f4612294189a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f2008f88253b0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"One day, I ended up telling my mom about the people I was friends with and what they were saying about me and had me doing. She told me that if they were really my friends, I would not feel this way about myself and about other things. I ended up feeling very happy that I told my mom. After I talked to my mom about it, I ended up trying to distance myself from those people. When the summer after 7th grade came, I cut off all contact with them. I did not see them or hangout with them all summer. As a result, I felt much happier and made so many new friends. Now in my 8th grade year, I am surrounded by people who truly care about me and like me just for being myself. My true friends are the people that make me happy and I never have to worry about being “annoying” around them because I know they genuinely care about me and like me. I am still friends with the people who had a bad influence on me, but this time I stand up for myself and not let them control me and my thoughts."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3b36be9fc731","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"08e3b0a6873e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\n"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}]}}},"staticQueryHashes":["3309388390","890781507"]}