My name is Lauren Emhoolah. I am Comanche and Kiowa Indian. My experience as an indigenous person has been especially unique. I have dealt with troubles and blessings throughout my life. I am an indigenous teen located in the tri-state area of Cincinnati Ohio. The location where I was brought up was definitely impactful to my childhood experiences. I was not around much of my culture growing up, since Comanche Nation is located in Lawton, Oklahoma. My father grew up in Lawton, around his culture and family who looked and sounded similar to him. My experience was different. I grew up strictly with my mother since my parents are divorced, and I hardly was around my culture and language. My mother is white and my father is full American Indian. Not having the opportunity to be around the language and culture impacted me significantly. I went to St. Bernard elementary as a child. It is in a small town located south in Cincinnati. St. Bernard is also where I have lived since I was three years old. I loved my school. The diversity was a beautiful environment to be in, unless you were something people were not familiar with. I loved attending school. I had friends of all colors and ages. I adored my teachers and was excited to learn everyday. The bullying I experienced didn't start until third grade, where children became aware of what their classmates looked like. I was always the odd one out. There were black students, white students, and Hispanic students. There were no Native Americans, and I believe I was the first to ever attend my small school. Being the only Native American was a struggle in school. I got bullied for the way I looked, not for who I was. My experience did put a strain on my mental health. I developed anxiety at a very young age. It was harder for me because I did not know who I was, or who i identified as. Not being in tuned with my culture made the bullying worse because I was not knowledgeable of what I was defending. As the years went on and I got older, I was able to visit with my father and family more often. I learned that Comanches were warriors, and referred to as "Lords of the Great Plains". I am glad I was able to learn bits of culture as a grew older. I may not know a lot, but I know I am a Comanche. I am proud of who I am, and I love my Numunuu (Nuh-muh-nuh) "people". Even though I struggled with adversities, I found the biggest blessing within, myself. I am a proud American Indian, and I love God, and the person I have become. Thank you for reading my story.