While I was at home, I wore these blue contacts. I told everyone my eyes were just naturally blue. I never took them out until very late at night before I went to bed. When I took the contacts out to sleep, I felt empty and hollow. When I looked in the mirror I just couldn?t even look myself in the eyes. I thought I was only beautiful when I was hiding behind that colored plastic. One morning when my alarm clock didn?t go off, I had to rush to school. I forgot my contacts and arrived at school wearing my own brown eyes. When I saw people staring at me I realized what I'd done. A boy I knew came up to me. He didn?t say a thing. He just stared. I looked at him and said proudly, 'My eyes are brown with flecks of green, not blue.' I realized people weren?t staring at ugliness, they saw my big beautiful brown eyes and me. From that day on, I never wore the fakeness again. I accepted my brown eyes and now I see the world, and myself, as they truly are!

Now I am at Ivy Ridge and I have found great strength and love inside myself. My issues were deeper than wanting blue eyes and not accepting my gift of brown eyes. Now I can look in the mirror and see myself for me. I have learned that everything is meant to be a certain way. I was born with pale skin, brown hair and brown eyes. That is part of what makes me Aurora. I have learned to stop following the path of self-hatred and masking what I thought others had wanted me to follow. Instead, I am traveling down my own path now. I?m sure that along the way I may doubt myself at times or meet negative people who will try to change me, but I know the truth and the beauty and talent that lies within me. I also see the beauty and talent that lies within everyone. My eyes are brown, not blue.