HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Going into her freshman year of high school, Brianna Nickle knew the basics of sign language, but thanks to her American Sign Language class, it blossomed into a passion. 

Now a junior, Brianna plans to study sign language in college and one day become an interpreter.

This didn’t always seem possible, as Brianna wasn’t going to public school after being bullied in elementary school. 

“A handprint was placed on my back by one of the girls,” she said. “They hit me. It was kind of hard to deal with, like, being so young.”

From her lunch being stolen to being hit in the head with a broom, Brianna said those were difficult times.

According to the Pew Research Center, during the 2019-2020 school year, around two in 10 U.S. middle and high school students said they were bullied at school and more than a third of parents said they are extremely worried their children might be bullied. 

Brianna credits Amrak, an anti-bullying organization, for helping her to move forward. 

“What I learned working with Amrak is that bullying and people that bully is they’re not bullying, you they’re going through something,” she said. 

Amrak Founder Sean Roberts said he started the organization after dealing with bullying himself while working on a film. 

“We want to reach out to those individuals that are hurt by allowing them to use their talents and gifts to be in our projects,” he said. 

From music videos to films, Amrak uses people who were bullied in its projects. 

Brianna’s filming wrapped up a couple of years ago, but with the release date right around the corner, it’s back on her mind. 

Roberts said the film should be done this summer and encourages others who have faced bullying to go to their website.