"Why am I not good enough?"
The words of a seventh-grade student at Queen Creek Middle School have left many speechless and even some in tears.
"That was so gut wrenching and yet beautiful and inspiring at the same time," one person wrote after watching the video.
Olivia Vella crafted those words -- "why am I not good enough?" -- as part of a powerful slam poem she performed for a class assignment.
According to the school, Olivia's seventh-grade writing class was tasked with creating a slam poem about a topic they were passionate about for their last assignment. They had to present their final product.
Olivia's stood out and her performance was posted to the school's Facebook page Tuesday and then on the 12 News Facebook page.
With thousands of comments and shares -- her words have reached millions and have many saying this seventh grader is "brilliant beyond words" and wise beyond her years.
In the poem, Olivia elegantly and perfectly addresses the woes of a young teenager struggling with insecurity and a desire to "be popular."
"Society infers girls have to have skinny waists, tan skin, long silky hair, perfectly straight teeth, big butts. Society infers girls have to wear tons of makeup to look pretty. Society infers girls have to wear skanky clothing and do inappropriate things with boys to be happy and considered cool."
But her words are not just relating to teens, they're felt by all -- at any age.
"As you gaze into the bathroom mirror, you see a stranger that somehow stole your reflection and replaced it with a completely different girl," she says discussing the lengths one may go to to "fit in" and not be the "odd one out." "You tell yourself: I just want people to like me. I just want to be accepted."
She finishes with a powerful message.
"Society is wrong," she says. "You are loved. You are precious. You are beautiful. You are talented, You are capable. You are deserving of respect. You are one in 7 billion."
According to the school, Olivia presented her poem to every seventh-grade writing period and "had several students in tears, shocked, and more empathetic than ever."
"And most of all," Olivia says, "you are good enough."
