Throughout my life, I have experienced firsthand how susceptible kids can be to peer pressure. There was one day, during the summer I worked as a lifeguard when a little boy came up to me at the front desk. As he fidgeted in front of me, he told me how another kid, when they were playing in the pool, had shouted in anger that he was going to kill him. Even though I knew it was probably just a joke, maybe a saying picked up from the media, my heart dropped to see this little boy was so worried and bothered by the interaction. All I could do was kneel in front of the boy and tell him that if it ever happened again, to come to me or another adult and we’d help. That was my first brush with how bullying and careless language can have a massive impact on the confidence of children, but it wasn’t the last. A few years ago, my own younger brother came home one day from school dejected and insecure. He said a boy in his class had been calling him fat repeatedly at recess. I watched as my ten-year-old brother became obsessed with exercising, trying to “get in shape” and shed the cruel words that had stuck to him. I couldn’t confront the offending classmate, so all I could do was try and teach my brother the art of having a thick skin and ignoring the bullies. He now avoids the boy who said these things to him, but I still worry that there will be another incident that brings back his old insecurities, especially now that he is exploring the internet, and will get to use his own phone when he goes to middle school next year. My family and I have done our best to impress upon him the importance of informed media consumption, and trying not to become phone-addicted. Being the oldest of three, I feel responsible for my younger brothers. It’s also because of them that I’m seeking financial assistance to pay for college, because I want them to be able to enter higher education, when it’s their time, with as much money as possible available to help pay for it. We are a financially stable family, but there’s no way my parents can pay for all three of our college expenses out of pocket, and I don’t want them to have to. When I was in middle school, I definitely felt a lot of the same insecurities that my brother, and lots of other kids, all feel. I think teaching kids to think critically and know how to distance themselves from unwelcome things and people is the best way to prevent bad situations from happening. I am reminded of what is at stake when I volunteer every year at my school choir fundraiser, Breakfast With Santa. All of us choir students dress up as Disney characters and run crafts and other holiday activities. When I am sitting in front of children, painting their faces, they tell me about themselves and their lives, and it’s always with a smile on their faces and an air of innocence. Young kids are so carefree and happy, and I wish that they could stay that way for as long as possible. After all, everyone says that kids are the future, so I hope we can give them as good a future as possible.