Middle school wasn’t a great time for lots of people.

Whether it was the raging hormones or the studded belts that you hate the most about the time, we can all agree it was rough. When we think of middle school, we probably don’t even think about the schoolwork or things we learned!

Still, there are occasional memories that stand out and people that left a lasting impression upon us.

If you were in school with Olivia Vella, however, you would definitely remember her. Olivia goes to Queen Creek Middle School in Arizona and has recently done something that brought her quite the amount of attention.

During the spring, her writing teacher gave them a special assignment.

Their assignment was to have one poem by the end of the year that they would then recite in front of the class. The poem would be a way for them to recap the year and end things on an emotional note as they all moved into high school!

Most kids decided to do an easy topic (like we would probably do), but Olivia took a different route.

The poem that Olivia had in mind would deal with doubt, pain, and ultimately ask the question: “Why am I not good enough?” For an eighth-grader, it was quite a deep bit of writing.

Her poem was a total of six minutes long and it takes people through a day in her life.

It starts off with normal things like getting ready for school, but from a certain angle. Even in the simple aspects of picking out clothes she feels pressured to do things to conform to what people expect of her so she doesn’t get laughed at.

“Every part of your outfit is uncomfortable, but even though you spend hours trying to look pretty, you will never be as good as those other girls at school.”

The words themselves are emotional, but so is Olivia’s delivery!

Words can convey meaning, but her tone doesn’t leave for any guessing room! She asks why she isn’t good enough and how each day at school includes judgment, criticism, and envy from her and from all her classmates. It also covers self-esteem, bad thoughts, and anxiety.

“You look at other girls wishing you were them, but other girls are looking at you wishing they were you.”

When she finished, the other students were in shock.

As you could imagine, having a poem like this read at a random class event had some people surprised. Her teacher, Brett Cornelius, talked to ABC News and explained just how shocked he and the class really were.

In a beautiful end to the poem, she proclaims:

“But society is wrong. You are loved, you are precious, you are beautiful, you are talented, you are capable, you are deserving of respect, you can eat that meal, you are one in seven billion. And most of all, you are good enough.”

You can check out the poem, as delivered by Olivia, below.

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Source: ABC – YouTube, ABC – Online