Kids have always been bullied, but now that we’re able to track precisely how it affects their mental health, we’re finally paying more attention to it.
Bullying can not only make kids feel isolated and alone, but it can lead to depression, poor school performance, and thoughts of (or attempts at) suicide.
By high school, most bullied kids have dealt with mistreatment by their peers for a long time and chronic bullying can make things seem hopeless. So when Tennessee teen Azzy Robinson had finally had enough, there was no choice but to switch schools.
“[It] made me feel like I was worthless and didn’t really mean anything to anyone,” the teen told Inside Edition of thebullying he experienced.
According to his mom, Azzy had become reclusive and would sleep all the time (a symptom of depression). And while he may always carry the scars of bullying in his early years, his transfer to LaVergne High School in 2019 made all the difference in his day-to-day life.
It turns out Azzy is a great kid – thoughtful, generous, and kind to his fellow students. His new classmates knew he had been bullied and wanted to make him feel both welcome and appreciated, so they set aside a moment one day to do something nice for him.
As someone recorded the moment, a few of Azzy’s new friends walked into the classroom bearing gifts for him. It turns out all the kids in the class had chipped in to help make the gesture.
Kerolos Girgis spearheaded the effort and spent weeks gathering gifts and money from his classmates. The special moment took place in biology class as two students walked in with the surprises.
“We got you some stuff because of how generous you are and everything you do,” a student told Azzy as he handed over a wrapped gift.
Azzy wasn’t sure what to think – but as soon as he saw the brand new pair of Nike sneakers, he covered his tears with his hands and said a muffled “thank you.”
“Those tears were pure joy,” he later said. “Almost proud to be me for once because they wanted to do something for me like that.”
It’s heartbreaking to think that someone could feel so hopelessly uncomfortable in their own skin for so long.
“This is nothing, Azzy,” his classmate said. “All the stuff you’ve done for everyone in this class, you deserve way more than this.”
Another student even gifted him with a stack of clothing.
His teacher overheard him saying: “For once it feels good to be Azzy” following the sweet moment.
It’s clear that the students at LaVergne High School have been taught about the dangers of bullying and understand the importance of making everyone feel included.
And while some kids might have been embarrassed by the gesture, Azzy was happily overwhelmed.
In less than a year, the sweet video of Azzy and his new classmates has been viewed nearly 10 million times and he’s shocked that the video went viral.
After all the attention, Azzy told the Daily News Journal that he hopes the video will encourage others to pay it forward.
“I’m glad that I have good people to do that, and it makes me really happy they did it because I impacted their lives,” he said. “They wanted to do something good for me, and my main hope is … to inspire love and hope to everywhere, and that there is a hero in everybody.”
Be sure to scroll down below to see a video of the touching moment and an interview with Azzy and his mom.
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