For three years I kept quiet and denied it. After seeing how sexting was changing other teenagers' lives, I chose to help in any way possible.

When I was 16 and a sophomore in a high school in northern New Jersey, a naked picture of me went viral.  My ex-boyfriend had forwarded it to everyone in his contact list and by the next week it had circulated throughout three local high schools, four middle schools, and five elementary schools.  My picture was sent to parents, friends, family, teachers, and strangers.  The bullying and harassment began almost immediately, with people screaming "ho," "whore," and "slut" at me in the hallways, threats from girls whose boyfriends had received the picture, and vandalization to my home.  I was scared to go to school and anywhere public.  I couldn't even escape the harassment at home because I received phone calls, text messages, and cyber abuse on the computer.  I had my friends' parents ask me out, bosses who told me they were going to find my picture and rate it, and teachers who made comments in class about it.
For three years I kept quiet and denied it.  After seeing how sexting was changing other teenagers' lives, I chose to help in any way possible. I have been featured on MTV: Sexting in America, The View, HLN, Good Morning America, Fox News, MTV: Disconnected Aftershow, and Dr. Drew.  I  also have been traveling to middle and high schools speaking to kids about the dangers of sexting and the repercussions of bullying. I have also worked with MTV's A Thin Line as a member of their Street Team (I am one of thirteen appointed.) In doing so, I have met many teenagers who claimed to have been considering suicide until hearing my story. 
Most recently, I helped change NJ's sexting laws to get rid of the sex offender status and am currently working to change laws nationwide. I was recognized for my work from the NJ State House Assembly and awarded: "Rising Young Woman of Change." I was also invited to The White House to speak about bullying with Valerie Jarrett, the Senior Advisor to President Obama. – Allyson Pereira