Eyes glued to the screen, and my mouth growing wider with every word, this was me when Bruce Jenner, 1976 Olympic champion and famed Kardashian father, said he was a woman! During the exclusive ABC interview between Diane Sawyer and Bruce, he shared things no one would’ve imagined. During the interview, Bruce debunked stereotypes and opened up to millions. Before this interview, I had absolutely no idea he’d been struggling with this for so many years. On Keeping up with the Kardashians he always played the mellow dad who just listened to Kris and played with this airplanes. Now to hear him open up to the world and share his deepest secrets is inspiring.

It’s sad to know that Bruce, the man we thought we figured out so long ago, has been hiding who he really is for so long. I can’t imagine how it must’ve felt to not be able to openly discuss what and how you feel for such an extended period of time, to in essence lock yourself up for 40+ years.

I think that in a sense we can all relate to Bruce. I’m sure that at some point in all of our lives, we’ve allowed the opinions of others to triumph our own. It’s extremely easy to suppress your personality, beliefs, and feelings and conform to please those around you. However, theres hope. If doesn’t have to be this way. Bruce has proven that it’s never too late to embrace yourself.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m guilty like everyone else. A lot of times I try to impress the people who don’t matter more than the people who do. In my case, that’s God. But to others that person who matters, might be yourself. Maybe you care too much about what everyone else thinks about you instead of what you think about yourself. I wonder where Bruce would be right now and how would he feel about himself if he would’ve simply come out a long time ago. If anything I’m sure he wouldn’t have regretted the decision. If there’s one thing we can all learn from this, it’s to be true to yourself. Embrace who you are and who you’re called to be.

So to every student out there: gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, asexual, etc. I love you for who you are! At the end of the day, it’s your life. I can’t tell you how to live it, I can only suggest that you focus on what’s important and always no matter what, stay true to yourself.