“From Victims to A-List Celebrities: Beating the Bullying Culture Part 2”

Bullying transcends demographic barriers, gender included. No one is immune, not even celebrities. Emotional or physical in nature, the pain that follows the abuse takes its toll on the victim. You can’t control what other kids do or say, but you can control how you choose to react. Each of our Guardian Angel celebrities listed remembers moments in their life when others tried to bring them down. What makes their stories so significant is that they didn’t let their tormenters win and you shouldn’t either.

When these stars looked in the mirror, they saw themselves for who they truly were: unique individuals whose differences made them special and destined for greatness. These men emerged as internationally famous actors, a Grammy winning artist, and the leader of the free world. Their success was driven by their refusal to let anything stand in their way, bullies included. Celebrities – 1, Bullies – 0. These are their stories.

Jackie Chan, Actor

Wish Kid: Kenney – spina bifida, hydrocephalus

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“I was bullied quite a lot when I was growing up in my Peking Opera School. I allowed myself to be bullied because I was scared and didn’t know how to defend myself. I was bullied until I prevented a new student from being bullied. By standing up for him, I learned to stand up for myself.”

Justin Timberlake, Actor/Singer

Wish Kid: Emily – congenital heart disease and heart malformation

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“I grew up in Tennessee, and I got slurs all the time because I was in music and art…I was an outcast in a lot of ways…but everything that you get picked on for or you feel makes you weird is essentially what is going to make you [special] as an adult. I got a big nose, but I rock it.”

Barack Obama, President

Wish Kid: Ta’Kiyah – brain tumor

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“In 2011, The White House said nearly a third of schoolchildren or 13 million students are bullied each year. “As adults, we all remember what it was like to see kids picked on in the hallways or in the schoolyard. I have to say with big ears and the name that I have, I wasn’t immune. I didn’t emerge unscathed.”

Tom Felton, Actor

Wish Kid: Alexandra – spina bifida & hydrocephalus

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“I would miss months of school and then return with bright blond hair. Needless to say, there was bullying. I wasn’t beaten up daily, but there was name-calling and jealousy.”

Josh Hutcherson, Actor

Wish Kid: Marisa – acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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“I was bullied, especially when I first said I wanted to be an actor, kids thought I was weird. The difference is what leads to greatness.”

So how can you apply the personal experiences of these stars to your own life? Like them, you’re perfect just the way you are. Never lose hope or give up on following your dreams. Your originality is a well of untapped potential. Remember how important it is to embrace that individuality. After all, it could make you the prime candidate to be the next President of the United States of America.