Bullying is an emotional topic, but that shouldn’t stop teachers, students, parents, etc. from teaching what it is and how to prevent it in schools and households. Bullying happens all over the world to people of all ages.  

  In an article posted on VeryWellFamily.com entitled “How Strong is the Link Between Bullying and Suicide?” by Sherri Gordon, 16% of students consider suicide, 13% create a plan, and 8% have made a serious attempt. 

  CSU Bakersfield has students who advocate for anti-bullying in different ways, one of those students being Kimberly Zepeda. 

  Zepeda created a documentary on anti-bullying titled “Consider Me, Include Me.” In the film, she introduces strategies for students, teachers, and parents alike to prevent bullying. 

   Zepeda starts the documentary with the names of kids who took their own lives ultimately due to bullying. The impact was to show that bullying is serious and needs action to stop it.     

  Zepeda defines different types of bullying: physical bullying, verbal bullying, cyber bullying, and social bullying. Physical bullying is when someone physically hurts another person, leaving damage to their body. Verbal bullying is when someone is insulted with words that make them feel bad about themselves. Cyber bullying is a form of bullying that takes place online, and social bullying is when someone tries to ruin another’s reputation or tries to humiliate them in front of others.  

   According to Zepeda, the documentary took her about two years to make, but that the journey of making it was worth it. She says that the research opened her mind and made her realize that she wants to continue being an advocate against bullying. She plans on doing this by making more documentaries and going to different cities to talk about the subject.  

  CSUB Student Judith Diaz attended Zepeda’s showing of her documentary.  

According to Diaz, who is a Minicorps Tutor, she is around children all the time, and she appreciated this documentary. She says it opened her eyes to inclusivity and how including others in conversations can really make a difference.  

  Diaz goes on to say how creating a safe space for others to communicate about their emotions can make a difference in someone’s life who feels like they have no one.  

  CSUB professor and co-advisor for the LGBTQ+ Network Bre Evans-Santiago helped Zepeda with her documentary by showing support throughout the process. 

  According to Evans-Santiago, she is very proud of Zepeda for the documentary. She wants everyone to know that there are people who support them, and she hopes that all of the students feel safe and loved on campus. 

Zepeda, Diaz, and Evans-Santiago all believe that CSUB should have more anti-bullying events to bring awareness and to teach ways to prevent bullying so CSUB can be a safe space for everyone.