Sharni Chandler has beaten her high school bullies in the best possible way.
The 17-year-old Point Cook resident was picked on from grade five through to year 11 to the point that she no longer felt safe.
“It was drama, drama, drama,” she said. “They always had something to pick on: whether it was my hair colour, my hair cut, or my dreams of being a makeup artist. It was just horrible.
“They’d laugh at me saying the job I wanted to do wasn’t a real job. It was hell.”
Last year, on the final day of the third term in year 11, she reached breaking point.
“They followed me home and attacked me. I spoke to my parents and told them I don’t want to go back to school. I can’t go back to school,” she said.
“I’d tell the teachers, I’d report everything, but then they’d get even angrier at me for telling the teachers and keep going. I had no other option.”
New direction
She applied for a spot in Victoria University’s diploma in specialist makeup services and a certificate III in hairdressing.
Initially, course selectors said she was too young, but after proving her passion in an interview, she was accepted into the course.
Sharni has also launched her own makeup artistry business.
Her talent was recognised earlier this month, being awarded first place in the magazine front cover makeup category of the Hairdressing and Beauty Championships.
“I wasn’t going to do it, but my teachers kept encouraging me. I built up the courage and went for it, and won,” she said.
“It’s an awesome feeling. I’m not trying to prove those bullies wrong; I don’t want to think about them at all. But I’m proving them wrong every single day.”
