“I kind of start breathing to calm down and think what’s the worst that could happen? They could hurt me, but probably not. I slow it down and just go up to [new people].”
—Maurice West, 16, Hawthorne HS
“I would think about it a lot and once I’m tired of being so shy I would just do it and try not to be scared of what the outcome would be. I have to try everything at least once and hopefully not regret it.”
—Michael Gil, 16, Hawthorne HS
“When I’m like really shy I just try to keep talking and try to find something in common with the other person.”
—Margarita Cervantes, 14, East Valley HS (North Hollywood)
“When I’m shy I usually find someone I know and we talk and when I don’t know anyone I try to be busy so no one could be looking at me.”
—Arthur Avetisov, 14, East Valley HS
“I’ll usually stay quiet at first, but then I get the guts and I start talking and it turns out OK and I make new friends.”
—Sanda Delgado, 14, East Valley HS
“I just talk a lot … and you get to know them more. I’ll lie and say I’ve seen you before.”
—Mitzie Lopez, 14, East Valley HS
“I just think about it and I say to myself, ‘we’re all just people and they won’t judge me.’”
—Adriana Razo, 14, East Valley HS