I was bullied my whole life because of something I didn't choose

"Ouch!" I said, as George threw the pen at me, hitting me in the eye. "Here you go! I heard you had no pen," he said mischievously, grinning happy that he'd hurt me. You'd think I'd retaliate, but no. I had gotten used to it - getting bullied, that is. I had been bullied my entire life for something I wasn't to blame for.

I was born with a lot of health problems. And I mean lot. E. coli, some lung complications, et caetera. At one point, my parents had go give up some of their belongings, because they couldn't afford medication for their baby child. In retrospective, I feel so bad for them. I was more of a burden than a joy in their lives. However, despite all of the problems, my parents soon found out I was a very special child: I was born with a gargantuan IQ, in the genius range, which manifested itself since I was one and a half years old. I began reading at two and writing quickly thereafter. However, my great intelligence would be the cause of a lot of pain - both to me and to my family.

On the first day of primary school, I was very excited. I was finally going to make some friends and meet other kids like me. Oh, boy, was I wrong! Everyone quickly took emnity against me because they couldn't understand me. I was far ahead of them and they hated me for it. I repeatedly told them I didn't want any of it, that I wasn't responsible for any of it. But they didn't care.

All the way up to high school, they bullied me continuously. And I accepted it. I thought it was the pain all geniuses had to bear. But what I couldn't accept was the way my mom and dad looked at me when they saw me sad, depressed, even. They were being tormented just as much as I was being, maybe even more, and only because their brilliant child could never be happy. That's when I started contemplating retaliating. I knew that I was more than capable of making all of their lives a living nightmare, but, eventually, I relented. I wanted friends, not kicking bags.

Eventually, depression caught up with me, and every time my mom and dad would tell me it was time to see a psychologist, I would turn them down. I had come to see my intelligence as a burden. I thought that the only reason I wasn't dead already was because I'd make some breakthrough in astrophysics that will help humanity accomplish its ultimate dream: interstellar colonization. Aside from that, I viewed myself as useless.

However, then I met Maria. She was the nicest person I'd ever met. She never judged me and was actually very sympathethic toward me and my situation. And it was her phrase that finally burst my bubble: "If you can't fight it, then who can?". This coming out of someone else's mouth motivated me beyond belief. And that's when I started fighting back. Within a month, my overall image had changed completely. They now respected me for who I was and didn't bully me anymore. Over time, I even became friends with them.

I graduated top of my class, and now I'm about to be accepted in one of the most prestigious universities in the country. I want to pursue my dream of helping humanity achieve its dream.

I guess the lesson I've learned is that you have to pursue your dreams. Never let other bully you because you're special. Aim higher and higher. Surmount all obstacles. Know that you are unstoppable and you will be.

This video may be over, but my story is not. And neither is yours.