“I Am Special” — Mary Anane Awuku on being bullied in SHS

Entrepreneur and leadership coach Mary Anane Awuku has shared how years of bullying during her senior high school days forced her into a struggle with self-confidence before she eventually embraced the very features classmates mocked her for.

Speaking on The Career Trail on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, Mary revealed that she was often teased over her appearance, particularly her ears, lips and nose.

According to her, some classmates repeatedly mocked her physical features and gave hurtful comments that made her uncomfortable about how she looked.

“At a point, I used to cover my ears a lot because they were always laughing at them,” she said.

She explained that the ridicule affected her deeply as a teenager, causing her to become self-conscious and hide parts of herself whenever she could.

Mary recalled being mocked over what some students described as her “pencil-like lips,” adding that the constant comments became difficult to ignore.

However, she said her perspective eventually changed when she stopped seeing her differences as flaws.

Instead of internalising the insults, she began to view the features people mocked as part of what made her unique.

“I told myself that if people are laughing at certain parts of my body, then it means there is something different about me, and that makes me special,” she said.

That change in mindset, she noted, helped her gradually regain confidence and stop hiding her appearance.

Today, she says she no longer feels the need to cover her ears or change herself to fit expectations.

Mary encouraged young people facing similar experiences to avoid allowing criticism from others to define their self-worth.

According to her, individuality should be embraced rather than hidden, because differences are often what make people stand out.