1. Ignorant people - there’s no doubt that we will run into various people who are just plain rude or oblivious to our situation and it can be frustrating. Unfortunately we can really change this but it’s something that becomes easier to deal with. *biggest story was when I was applying for provisions for the HSC (Australia year 12 exams), and the ‘support worker’ at NESA said “why is she doing music if she can’t talk properly?”. Many more where that came from 🤦‍♀️ 2. People assuming your dumb af because you can’t express urself. All through high school I was a pretty good student, pretty much As and Bs, and yet it still surprised everyone that I could get good marks. Sorry, my brain still works as it’s meant to so why are we surprised? 3. “Just take a minute and breathe” and “think about what you want to say first”. Please stop making comments like this, we know exactly what we want to say, just give us a minute!! Patience is key and in a society of 10 second media attention span, it’s proving harder to find patience around. 4. Education systems!!! Do better to support the students who need it! Stuttering is classified as a speech disability and while I don’t feel I am disabled by it, it does affect my life and communication greatly. Sometimes we just need that extra 3 minutes to finish our presentation, or being able to feel safe in class because you won’t get called on because the teachers understands the stress and anxiety that causes for you. Yet with the little support we get now, why am I still having to explain my whole life story and have 5 doctors to prove I cannot speak fluently?? As a recent high school graduate with my whole life ahead of me I cannot help but feel as if I will never find my person. It sometimes feels like I will find someone who will just ultimately feel bad for me and pity me, staying in a relationship that will ultimately do more harm than good. And part of me really wants someone who also stutters, someone who know exactly how it feels in every awkward conversation and situation that I cry over afterwards. I am diagnosed with anxiety with medication for it, so I tend to overthink even simple situations, sometimes the best thing is reassurance that we are ok and that e are doing the right thing. I think the best advice is to just be yourself, I know I appreciate an honest person who will ultimately accept me for me regardless of my stutter, race etc. Growing into adulthood has given me the best sense of who are true friends and who aren’t. Be a true friend and just love and support everyone in your life, especially those who stutter <3