“If we all come together and use our voices to spread love instead of hate, we can achieve anything we want in this world.”
This is just one of the many inspirational philosophies adopted by Massapequa High School senior James Pieprzak. For as long as he can remember, Pieprzak has protested bullying and prejudice towards children and has even spoken actively about its negative effect on the world.
“Enough is enough,” Pieprzak said. “People don’t really see and understand what bullying does to people. I believe that this issue has to be pushed further and further until something is done about it.”
Pieprzak did, in fact, do something about it. Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year old anti-bullying activist who committed suicide after being bullied for his sexuality, influenced the creation of the Paws up Forever Project. This movement was led by selfless teenagers such as Pieprzak along with Rodemeyer’s inspiration and favorite singer, Lady GaGa. During the movement, Pieprzak was featured in one of Lady GaGa’s music videos with the rest of the project team.
“The video contained 300 people from all over the world; some people were given a line to say and some people just put their paws up,” Pieprzak says. “When the creators gave me my line, even though it was a small line, I took pride in what I was saying, hoping that I could convince someone to stop bullying and start accepting one another.”
After Pieprzak’s participation in this campaign, many other students at MHS have begun to recognize his mission and support the cause themselves.
“I had heard of the Paws Up project when it first started,” sophomore Erin Gallagher said. “I haven’t seen any of the videos but now that I know an MHS student is involved, I definitely want to see it and find out how other people can spread the word.”
According to the Paws Up Forever Project’s official website, over 100,000 people have gotten involved with the cause. With more awareness growing in the battle against bullying and discrimination, Pieprzak and other selfless citizens at MHS hope that one day the world will achieve equality and peace, and bullying will be a thing of the past.