Dr. Seuss once said, "Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." As a person who stutters, living by this quote can be difficult.

In tenth grade, I was bullied because of my stuttering. I was mocked in the hallways at school, I found horrible things about me written on the bathroom wall, and I found things written about me on Facebook ridiculing me because I stutter. The bullying and mockery caused me to lose my voice and personality.

A little over a year ago I found a theater company for kids who stutter called Our Time (www.ourtimestutter.org), located in NYC. Our Time is a non profit organization that helps kids who stutter ages 8-18 find their voice through the performing arts. For kids who aren't in the New York area, Our Time has a 10 day sleep away camp in North Carolina called Camp Our Time (www.campourtime.org). Since finding Our Time, I have gained confidence and a voice. I realized that those bullies didn't matter. I found myself once again and I was able to get my personality back.

Next month, I will be getting ready to start college. As I make my way on this new journey, I refuse to let those who mind, matter. I refuse to let fear run my life. I will be myself and say how I feel without feeling ashamed. I will seek after my goals and dreams with courage and bravery. I will live the life I want to live without anything or anyone negatively interfering. I will stand strong and say, "I stutter. I have accepted it and you should, too."

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