Ever since I started kindergarten, I have been humiliated, back stabbed, bullied, and picked on. I was always alone and unliked because I practiced a different religion. This made me feel sad and very angry, although I would keep my feelings to myself. Through it all, there was only one person that was by my side and stood up for me. That person is my father.

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri where there were a lot of Americans and Bosnians, but very few Arabs. I was the only Arab in my school, and no one liked me because of how I dressed and looked. They always bullied me and talked behind my back and it hurt, and I always came home depressed. Students sometimes came up to me and acted as if they were better than me. They humiliated me and never even tried to like me because of who I was. People would stare at me like I had done something wrong, or like I was a hideous monster. They assumed because of my heritage I was dangerous, or that my family was, and that we were going to hurt them. The bullying reached a point where I even considered killing myself.

My father knew he had to put an end to all of it, and he found ways to stand up to the bullies without making things worse for me. He would educate the parents and teachers, instead of faulting them for what they did not know and he taught his family to be proud of our heritage and culture, and he taught me how to believe in myself. Sometimes, he would even come to my school to stand up for me when I could not do it by myself.

In 2008, we moved to Michigan where there are many people like me, which is great. However, not long after moving, my dad lost his job. He does his best to support us and he always seems to stay positive, even when my siblings ask for things and my dad has to say “I don’t have enough money.” He has never cared about himself, but about his family, friends, and others. I wish I could be his hero now.

Throughout my life, I have been humiliated, bullied, and mistreated. People don’t understand how much it hurts to be treated like this. My father does, and he is the best person in my life. This article, it is my way of trying to pay him back. It is such a small gift for such a great man. So all I want to say to my father is thank-you for caring for me so much and I love you. You are the reason I have become the young lady that I am today.