Bullying is an increasing problem in facing teens, and one girl is trying to turn things around. Emily – Anne Rigal (19) is the founder of WeStopHate, a nonprofit that is building self-esteem in teens. Or as they like to call it teen-esteem.

As a young girl Emily was bullied in elementary school. The situation had gotten so bad that she was forced to switch schools. All she wanted was to find friends that accepted her for who she was. She did and decided that someone should take a stand. She wanted others who were being bullied to know that they were beautiful and more then what others labeled them as.

When she received a MacBook as a gift, she recorded her first WeStopHate video. In her video she shared her story and told teens that the words they hear do not define who they are, hoping that others would be inspired. After posting her video to YouTube, she had and overwhelming amount of subscribers and replies.

Teens from all over the U.S. had seen Emily’s video and were inspired. They started to put up their own stories and how they overcame the obstacles of bullying. At the end of every video, the teens would say something positive about themselves. Emily knew that WeStopHate was working. Not only were teens participating in WSH, but celebrities like Lady Gaga and Nick Cannon we also participating. Some schools even has a WSH club where students send compliment grams to others.

Emily knew that there was a problem with bullying and she decided to take action. All she wanted was to help other people and spread positive vibes. Emily had no idea that WSH would become so successful but she was able to handle the extra responsibility of her nonprofit. Emily says it best, “stop hating on yourself, stop hating on others, stop letting others hate on you.”