Stephanie Lopez

Stephanie Lopez Salazar
14750
Burnsville Pkwy Lot 111
612-251-2772
[email protected]
6th of November
Dear Reader,
This letter is to inform you of who I am as an individual and how I have learned to grow from my experiences.
Let me formally introduce myself, my name is Stephanie Lopez Salazar. I’m seventeen years old and I was born and raised in Burnsville, Minnesota. However, growing up in this small town was very difficult. As you may ask, I was around toxic and manipulative behaviors at a very young age and never knew how to express myself , ask for help, or why these things were happening to me but I always persisted to continue with my education because I understood that this is what would get me through in life. I was always a positive and happy child but because I didn’t know how to properly express myself people would always pick on me. I was continually bullied for my appearance and I never understood why. In result I would constantly retaliate but my voice was never heard. I was discriminated against because of the color of my skin and because of my cultural background and it took me all fifteen years of my life to finally put my foot down and say no more. I decided to take therapy because I wanted to make a change for myself and improve. I never took the medication they gave me because I wanted to grow naturally because I struggled and still do with drug abuse. I was introduced when I was in 6th grade. I knew it wasn’t good for me but I wanted to fit in so badly that I let myself get too comfortable. I knew what I had to do. It was just difficult to do so living in such a closed-minded home so in a way, it was also my distress method. My parents were never home growing up and I always blamed myself for it but after therapy I realized that they never meant to hurt me and cause me the trauma I have. If anything they just wanted me to succeed in life but they had to live a life where they were working day and night to provide me with everything I needed to be successful. Something that I’ve learned is that life is really mind over matter. For me to succeed I need to believe in myself and let others in because the world isn’t against me. There are some people that have genuine interest to help me be a better person. It is a long process but with my persistence and determination I will be better and in the process, I will help my peers. After all, I understand those difficult situations that people go through because I have been in their shoes. I know how to help my community and I will do that because in order for there to be a significant change we need to be a united community. This is who I am and I am proud. My name is Stephanie Lopez Salazar and I matter. I am a proud representative of my culture too.
Sincerely,
Stephanie