Future nursing student with social anxiety stands up to high school bullies with a powerful speech

Getting bullied can be incredibly traumatizing as it leaves one feeling too vulnerable to stand up to their bullies. As much as they'd like to, raising their voice against the demeaning and abusive treatment they face can feel nearly impossible.

But not this time. One future nursing student with social anxiety left the internet in awe when she shared how she decided to call out her high school bullies and put an end to their bullying. The 18-year-old courageously stood up against them during her class presentation. On May 25, RaeAnn Loewen (@_raerae26) uploaded two videos of her powerful presentation on TikTok, where it garnered more than 1 million views. The videos were captioned, "God, I hope they see this."

The text overlay on the first video reads, "POV you finally call out your bullies" and the second one reads, "Standing up to my bullies." Signifying that her bullies were sitting right in front of her, she wrote, "The biggest a*****e is sitting right over there behind this guy."

"I have a high grade and I understand nearly everything that class has to offer; however, there are people in my class that make fun of me nearly every time I speak," Loewen says at the podium, facing the rest of her class. "I don't know if they realize that I see them doing this, but it was really upsetting at first."

Loewen reveals that she was diagnosed with "pretty bad social anxiety" in seventh grade and while she had previously questioned why these bullies were constantly targeting her, she eventually came to the conclusion that their opinions don't matter.

"But I do really want to know why they care so much about what some random person in the back of the class has to say. In the grand scheme of things, these people in high school class won't matter. Their opinions of me don't matter. Their laughs don't matter. Their rudeness, disrespect and looks don't matter," Loewen continues, while giving a side-eye to one of her alleged bullies.

"In the wise words of a wonderful nurse, I know, 'They will be the one serving you at the Dollar Tree.' I got the highest score in my class on the certified nursing assistant exam, and that was truly the biggest 'F You' I could have ever given any of them. I passed with a 92 and not a 76," she adds. She also confirmed in the comments that all the bullies could do was roll their eyes.

Loewen shared facts about herself that people—including these bullies—may not know in the second video, which she posted on May 26, a continuation of her presentation. "The biggest thing I’m taking away from my year in that class is rather cliché, but it is true. It’s just to ignore what other people think," she says. "I know I’m smart, I know my capabilities, and I know my worth. The people in that class never seem to get enough of me. They hardly know anything about me. They don’t know that I’ve been dancing since I was 5, and every Wednesday, I dance with adults with developmental disabilities. I absolutely love football. I know a lot about it and my favorite team is the Chiefs. With the help of my friends and my foes, I am leaving the school as a completely different person than the young, naive girl that started here."

"I am leaving the school with the same best friend I had in kindergarten, and I am leaving the school with a number of scholarships to help pay for my time in nursing at Montana State University," she concludes. Loewen received praise from social media users who got bullied for standing up to those who had mistreated her.

"The best revenge is living well... I wish I understood that nothing in high school matters except my diploma," shared @Diva1913. "They peaked in high school and you are about to soar higher than any of them could dream," claimed @potato moth. "I wish I had this confidence in high school. You are going to go so far in this life. Proud of you," commented @rawdellll. "I wish I was this brave, but seeing you do it man, healed my inner child," praised @untitledkimberly. 

According to StopBullying.gov, victims of bullying should try to reason with the bully in a "calm, clear voice," but "if speaking up seems too hard or not safe, walk away and stay away. Don’t fight back." It also encourages those who are being bullied to speak with a trusted adult or someone who can make the situation feel less lonely. Another important suggestion, which Loewen appears to have followed, is not to keep your emotions bottled up inside.