"I'll keep my head down and act as if I don't exist. That's all I want; for you to treat me like I don't exist.
"What I wouldn't give for you to treat me like I was human."
She was just one of many victims of bullying at school and believed everyone would experience it during their lifetime, she said.
Her mother, watched as the 13-year-old lost confidence, became withdrawn and dreaded going to school.
She wanted to take action but was not sure how to go about it and thought a number of parents would feel the same way.
It was numerous experiences like that of theirs that spurred Tauranga Safe City to take action.
Raewyn Mortensen and Mike Mills, of Tauranga Safe City, spearheaded the "Know the Signs" project with the Ministry of Social Development agreeing to fund the campaign late last year, Mr Mills said.
Previous projects aimed to empower children but the "Know the Signs" campaign's point of difference was targeting parents and close adults such as teachers and coaches, he said.
"What we realised was that amongst adults, and parents in particular, they may be quite blind to the signs of bullying and not even be aware or thinking about what it could involve.
"For some children they're doing their best to try and address the behaviours but sometimes they feel quite powerless and it's absolutely essential an adult or a parent tackles the situation and helps them make it stop."
He believed a huge number of children had experienced either side of bullying.
The campaign would be seen on the back of buses across the Bay of Plenty, on brochures and posters in community centres, GP waiting rooms and throughout schools, he said.
"Your child could be the bully. Some parents could be quite oblivious and the natural reaction is 'my child would never do that'."
The campaign took adults through strategies of how to manage a bully or bullied child but the first step was accepting there was a problem, he said.
"We're looking for that 'aha!' moment when parents can recognise what is happening."
The campaign focused on children prior to teenage years when a change of behaviour was more likely, Mr Mills said.
"If it's not stopped at a young age they can carry that into adult life.
"Some of the worst bullies in adulthood probably have a pattern that started back in primary school."
For the 13-year-old, being bullied took a lot from her, she said.
"I lost all confidence, self-esteem, I lost a lot actually."
But she hoped the campaign would help others.
"I hate seeing kids being bullied. I don't know why we can't just treat each other as equals."
She encouraged parents to take the first step if they recognised a change in their child's behaviour.
“Just sit-down and discuss it with them ... just reach out.”
