School is filled with ups and downs, varying from the academic to the social aspect. One of the biggest ‘downs’ is the presence of rumors.

Senior Sarah Kang has encountered the difficulties that gossip can bring students.

“[In middle school] my mom always packed me Korean food — Korean food has a different smell, and not everyone is used to that smell,” Kang said. “People used to say that I brought rotten food because I was ‘poor,’ and that hurt my feelings.”

Even though it bothered her, Kang didn’t feel the gossip truly affected her life.

“Personally, the rumors that were spread about me weren’t very major — they were all really petty and dumb, and I didn’t really care much for them,” Kang said. “I feel like rumors to others, depending on the situation, can be really harmful.”

At the time, Kang was very offended by the ongoing rumors about her home life and the kind of food she would bring to her school.

—“When I was in middle school, I was a lot more sensitive, so it hurt me a little more than it would now,” Kang said. “It hurt my feelings when they said the food smelled. I feel like racism was a bigger thing back then.”

According to Kang, the rumors had a short-term effect on her diet at school.

“I went home and I remember complaining to my mom to pack me different kinds of foods,” she said. “But after a week, I got over it, and it only happened twice.”

School isn’t the only place where rumors can spread, and Kang said sometimes, they can affect a person’s everyday life.

“There are a bunch of platforms — especially TikTok — where things can go viral. Anything can become widely known among a bunch of states,” Kang said. “If a rumor really blew up or there were false accusations against a person, they would feel affected wherever they go.”

The gossip Kang experienced allowed her to realize she didn’t need to focus on what her classmates were spreading about her.

—“No one cares that much about you if they’re not a close friend,” Kang said. “If they’re just there to hate you, I feel like you should just brush it off. It’ll be hurtful at first, but in the end it won’t matter at all.”

Knowing she didn’t want to hang on to the negative feeling that the rumors inflicted, Kang decided not to let it dictate her future.

“Don’t let it affect you too much,” Kang said. “Soon, you’re never going to see any of these people again, you’re going to move on, you’re going to have a new life elsewhere. Don’t take any of it to heart and just remember — life goes on.”