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Aanya Mukherjee says severe harassment at her former school in California affected her confidence, mental health and her grades
About a year ago, the 17-year-old founded Buy Yourself Flowers after noticing other teens were often excluded from mental health discussions
Her nonprofit has since donated about 500 mental health toolkits, called “bloom boxes,” to schools and hopes to expand
Aanya Mukherjee was not prepared for what she faced when she entered high school in California.
“There were rumors and lies about me and my family, other forms of harassment — and sometimes stalking,” the 17-year-old tells PEOPLE, adding, “The bullying and harassment affected my confidence, my mental health and even my academics.”
Aanya initially attended a private school near her home in San Jose, where she lives with her parents and brother, now 13, who preferred not to be identified. She says their family turned to their school for support but was disappointed in the reaction.
She recently switched to Los Altos’ Pinewood School. Now in her junior year, she has a new mission.
“That experience made me much more interested in how schools address bullying and student wellness, because it didn’t really work out in my favor,” she says.
Aanya, who was active in school activities, says a turning point in her story came when a mental health counselor pushed her to “be a leader in your own life.”
She started getting involved with coalitions of educators, parents and mental health professionals to search for ways of helping teens like her confronted by the same obstacles.
Aanya MukherjeeCredit: Courtesy Aanya Mukherjee
However, something that stood out to her was whenever she attended a conference or meeting about young people’s mental health was that she would often be the only young person in the room, she says.
“It was strange that adults were having all these conversations about what teenagers needed, but teenagers themselves weren’t necessarily being included,” she says.
She decided to start the nonprofit Buy Yourself Flowers about a year ago to make room for more teen involvement; she also started workshops for teens and a podcast. One of the main initiatives of her organization is giving out what she calls “bloom boxes.”
“No, my boxes are not filled with flowers,” she says, smiling. “These are small, shoebox-size mental health toolkits.”
The items in the boxes include candles, herbal teas, affirmations, mini journals and even face masks. There is also a list of support resources for students. So far, Aanya says, her group has donated about 500 bloom boxes to area schools and hopes to expand to other states, including Florida.
Aanya Mukherjee’s bloom boxesCredit: Courtesy Aanya Mukherjee
In her talks, she advises teens to report cyberbullying early to their school administration rather than hoping it will resolve on its own. But she notes it’s also important for schools to develop specific protocols for this form of harassment — often more psychological than physical — beyond “traditional physical bullying policies.”
“Bullying isn’t anything new, but it has gone beyond getting shoved up against a locker,” she says.
“I think social media has definitely become a huge catalyst for bullying,” she says, “and I think adults don’t understand that it’s not like you can turn your phone off and it all goes away. It’s pervasive and things get around quickly, even private conversations.”
She looks back on when her own bullying began in December 2023. It happened both on online and in person at her school, she says.
“School is supposed to be where you feel safe and supported,” says Aanya, who now feels she’s in a better place since switching schools.
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Still, she realized that changing her environment wasn’t enough. She wants to create environments where other kids can feel supported as well.
The workshops she helps organize are being led by teenagers. She believes peer-led approaches resonate because of shared generational experiences.
“It sounds cliche, but it brings home that you’re not alone,” she says. “I felt very isolated when it happened to me. I didn’t think I would make any friends and I didn’t think it would ever end. But it did.”
Remember, she says: “It’s possible to move on. At the end of the day, you are in charge of your own life.”
Read the original article on People
