Junior Vanessa Hemmes has had her fair share of new kid experiences at the 14 different schools she has attended, but one encounter will always stick with her.
Hemmes has impacted every school she’s gone to with her kindness, but not every school has treated her with kindness back. Hemmes has confronted the struggles of being the new kid multiple times. Periodically, the struggles were simple, surface level, and foreseen.
“It’s always hard, especially the first week,” Hemmes said. “You have to find people to sit with at lunch and someone to talk to so you’re not bored every day.”
Hemmes has not only had to deal with the stereotypical struggles of being a new kid, she’s also dealt with the stereotypical bullies everybody fears.
“In fourth grade at Holland Heights, there [was] this group of girls and guys, and they would bully me,” Hemmes said. “They would push me around, talk bad about me behind my back. They said that I was ugly, fat and that I stunk.”
The struggles of switching schools never ended for her. Hemmes has gone to 14 different schools and on average she has moved to a new school each year.
“I’m always the new kid, I never fit in and get a really good best friend or group of friends to talk to,” Hemmes said.
Hemmes would confide in her family and church for help, but eventually, she found the one thing that could truly help her prosper during these intense hardships.
“Music was always my best friend, I would use music a lot to help me through my difficulties,” Hemmes said. “I can connect to [music] more than I can connect with people, it’s easier for me to listen to music than to talk to other people.”
Marissa Hemmes, Vanessa’s sister, has gone to 13 different schools and was able to apply music to her real life situations, as well.
“I have always used music to get me through any struggles,” Marissa said. “If I don’t feel good about myself I will find a song to help me. Music is a way to express [myself].”
Choir teacher Jack Phillipson sees that Hemmes has a passion for music and brings her talent into the spotlight when she’s in concert choir. He also recognizes Hemmes’s bright personality.
“[Hemmes] is kind,” Phillipson said. “[She] goes above and beyond to make [a] connection with her teachers, as people, even if it’s just that thirty seconds after class to ask that extra question to make sure she’s doing a great job.”
Phillipson understands that Hemmes has a lot of care for the world.
“Everything [she does] is done with that layer of kindness,” Phillipson said.
Great article! Very inspiring