"I won’t lie: I shed a couple of tears. But that night, I thought, ‘I worked hard to build this confidence, so I can’t just allow people to tear it down!’ I went to see the principal and explained: My scars are a part of me. They are a sign of turning pain to power. Not hiding my legs, like I used to, is part of that, too. After I finished, the principal apologized. She said she’d been trying to protect me—she hadn’t thought of it my way. I realized that people know so little about mental illness, they don’t know how to react if you’re open about it.
"But you shouldn’t have to hide. So I’ve become an advocate for mental health and self-harm and suicide awareness. In social media, on my blog,
and in public, I’ve created a space for people to talk about those things. I call it the CHEETAH Movement, which stands for Confidence, Harmony, Enlightenment, Encouragement, Tranquility, Awareness, and Hope. I also wrote a short film that’s on YouTube and self-published a book, A Heart of Hope. And I know it’s made a difference: After one girl DM’d me, we got her help. I want to be free to live my life without shame. And I want other teens to do that too, no matter what they’re going through.”