When Whitney Kropp was nominated for homecoming queen at her high school, she was confused. She never expected this to happen, but she was hopeful that this was the sign of something good happening to her! Little did she know, she was going to need to fight back against people at school with bad intentions toward her.
Flattered But Confused
It is no secret that your teenage years are some of the most difficult ones of your life. There is nothing worse than the horrible combination of peer pressure, school work, and bullies. For Whitney Kropp, high school was far from a breeze. When the 16-year-old student got wind that she got nominated for the position of Homecoming Queen, she thought she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. While flattered, she had no idea how it happened since she was not popular at school. Still, she was not going to complain! However, the young lady soon learned that the nomination was nothing more than a prank…
Flattered But Confused
Signs Of Trouble
Whitney started to get suspicious when they announced the Homecoming court through the loudspeaker. She could not help but feel both surprised and excited when they said her name. However, she then heard giggles from her classmates! She decided to brush it off and stay positive instead.
Signs Of Trouble
Support System
Later that same day, Whitney felt anxious. She had no idea how to inform her family of the good news. However, they were simply excited for her! The teenager even took to Facebook to post this status: “In the Homecoming Court! 🙂 Little nervous but this is going to be fun :D”
Support System
Just A Joke
Let us just say that Whitney did not blend in with everyone in her class. She liked to dye her hair weird colors and listen to music that her peers did not like. This was the reason that she did not have a lot of friends at school. It all made sense to her when she got wind that they nominated her as a prank!
Just A Joke
In On It
The prank by itself was already pretty bad. However, she started to learn that it was even worse than she had in mind. She found out that nearly every single person in the class went with the prank. The teenager felt so devastated to hear this that she started to think of very dark thoughts.
In On It
Deep Depression
She also found out that one of the male nominees refused his nomination since he did not want to be involved with Whitney in any way. Learning about such things would send anyone into a spiral. She fell into a deep depression and started to contemplate suicide. Luckily, Whitney’s family was very supportive of her and kept her safe.
Deep Depression
Low Self-Esteem
Whitney started to feel like she did not belong at the high school. On top of that, she could not help but feel like she is nothing but a joke. “I had actually reached a point where I had thought about suicide for how bad this case was in,” she said when she spoke to WNEM. “I thought I wasn’t worthy at Ogemaw Heights at all.”
Low Self-Esteem
Convincing Her
We are glad to hear that Whitney chose to talk to her family about it instead of keeping it all in. Her family had been devastated to learn what she had been going through. They tried to convince her that she should go to Homecoming anyway, if only to spite the people who bullied her. Still, we can see that it is not easy to do something like that.
Convincing Her
Facebook Fans
Her sister, Alivia, launched a Facebook group in light of what happened. It blew up soon, and there were now hundreds of thousands of netizens who stood by Whitney Kropp! The horrible prank then became a big platform for the issue of bullying awareness. Whitney never expected what happened after this.
Facebook Fans
Overwhelming Support
Whitney was flooded with an unbelievable amount of support from businesses in the area. They offered their services to her for the event! Shops also donated a new dress, a makeover, a limo, new shoes, and a homecoming dinner. Whoa. We are sure that the bullies never thought that this would ever happen.
Overwhelming Support
Free Makeover
Hairdresser Shannon Champagne offered the teenager a free makeover. Here was what the generous lady told People, “Every girl looks forward to being on that homecoming court and for her name to be called. For her to be so excited about that and then just to find out it was all a joke, it really touched me.”
Free Makeover
Feeling Nervous
Even though Whitney got a lot of support from the local community, she still felt nervous about going to homecoming. The coronation was going to happen during the halftime of a football game. She was aware that there were people who had her back, but Whitney still had no idea what would happen after such an intense week. She had no idea that her life was going to change forever!
Feeling Nervous
More Support
She arrived at the coronation in a gorgeous orange dress. Everyone got to see her lovely new haircut as well. She was surprised to see thousands of people stand and clap for her as she made her way across the field with her dad. They even held signs to show their support and wore orange T-shirts as a tribute to her!
More Support
In Disbelief
There were news teams present on the field to capture the incredible moment. Whitney was awed by the support she got that night. She was shocked as she surveyed the thousands of people who went out there to cheer for her. The teen could not believe this happened when she thought she was nothing.
In Disbelief
Her Message
When she was interviewed, Whitney delivered a gorgeous message to people her age going through the same thing. She said, “The kids that are bullying you, do not let them bring you down. Stand up for what you believe in and go with your heart and go with your gut.”
Her Message
Standing Up
“It is absolutely awesome to see her stand up. And it’s so cool to see emails we’re getting from parents and other students from all over the place telling her stories and how it helped them and it touched them. My daughter is out there as an inspiration to a lot of people, and it’s a really cool thing,” her mother said, according to the story by Daily Mail.
Standing Up
Raising Awareness
The Kropp family has received an incredible number of messages and emails expressing their support for the family. They even got an offer to turn the story into a film! We are sure that the fame is a little overwhelming, but we are glad that the story has increased awareness about such an important matter.
Raising Awareness
Her Future
Whitney Kropp has, without a doubt, grown a lot from what she went through. People now know her and her story, so she is considering becoming an advocate for anti-bullying. She was lucky that her awful situation became a beautiful story in the end. It might have even led her to the career she wants.
Her Future
Sad Reality
The sad reality is that bullying is a big issue that takes place in all parts of the world. Many teens and preteens know the reality of this. It is a shame that it takes these situations to spread more awareness about something so harmful. However, the good news is that the positive feedback has helped the cause already. We are just glad that Whitney had a wonderful family and support system to get her through those dark times!
Sad Reality