Almost many people would say that junior high school was one of the most challenging periods of their lives while growing up. None of it, on the other hand, had anything to do with academics. The fact that you had to show up every day with all of the social expectations and discomfort was what made those years so difficult. To be honest, many of us would refuse to return even if we were paid to do so!

Even recreating all of the emotions and experiences we had in junior high school might be difficult to bear. Is it possible for you to picture your seventh-grade self speaking about those emotions in front of a full classroom? Obviously, I’m not the one.

Despite her fear of public speaking, one seventh-grader dared to read a moving poetry she’d written in front of her classmates.
Olivia Vella attended Queen Creek Middle School in Arizona, where she was a student. Her writing instructor assigned her a project in the spring, in which she had to write an end-of-year poem and then read it in front of the class. Olivia, on the other hand, chose to go in the other direction and choose a ‘difficult subject’.

‘Why am I not good enough?’ the seventh-grader wonders in her poetry. Moreover, it deals with some very real-life situations.
Olivia reads her poetry, which takes the audience on a journey through a day in her shoes, for a total of six minutes. She talks about the multiple pressures she feels just getting ready for school – such as choosing an outfit that is current in order to avoid becoming more of a ‘laughing stock’.

Olivia recites the following:

‘Every part of your outfit is uncomfortable, but even though you spend hours trying to look pretty, you will never be as good as those other girls at school.’

Not only are Olivia’s words overflowing with emotions, but so is her presentation of those words.

In the video, Olivia fearlessly pours her heart out to her classmates via a poem that asks, ‘Why am I not good enough?’ Olivia is a brave young woman. She describes what it’s like to be a student and cope with the judgment, criticism, and jealousy that comes with it. She talks about her fading self-esteem, negative thoughts, and a racing mind in this period of her life. 

The video is short but it provides an eye-opening glimpse into the life of many teens for a few minutes.

On that particular day, the seventh-grader impressed her teacher and classmates. Several other people were taken aback by the video once it was posted on the internet.
Olivia’s poetry presentation rapidly went viral, and she was able to impact people all around the country with it.

Millions and millions of people have seen Olivia’s video on the internet. The YouTube video linked below has received more than a million “likes.”

To listen to Olivia’s moving and heart-wrenching poetry, click on the play button below. 

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