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Aija Mayrock is a bestselling author, spoken word poet, speaker and activist. [1]

Aija suffered relentlessly from bullying during middle and high school. After 8 years of hurting in silence, she took it upon herself to self-publish her debut book, “The Survival Guide to Bullying” at age 16. Her book was published in the US and in 14 foreign countries and has now been incorporated in many US high school curricula.[2]

Early Life
Aija was born in New York, but attended high school in Santa Barbara, California.

Due to two speech impediments, Aija suffered from relentless bullying and cyberbullying from age eight to sixteen. She told Bustle, [6] “in my freshman year of high school, a girl who I had never met dressed up as me for Halloween and posted it online. It went viral, and I received death threats and hateful comments. And around that same time, I noticed that there were a lot of news stories about kids and teens committing suicide because of bullying. I realized that this was an international epidemic, and I wanted to find a way to show these kids and these young people that suicide was not the answer, that they could survive, and I, too, understood what it felt like to feel so hopeless and alone.”

Aija began her writing career at fifteen years old, when she wrote a screenplay about mental health and suicide which was made into a short film and won the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 10-10-10 competition. Aija was the youngest person in history to win. Aija stared in the movie, as well.

The Survival Guide to Bullying
Mayrock’s work span from writing books, poetry, and screenplays.

As a result of the bullying Aija experienced, she decided to write a book about her experiences, in hopes of helping other young people survive bullying. Aija was sixteen when she began writing The Survival Guide.

In the process of publishing, Aija says; "got rejected by a lot of publishers, and I think the reasoning was, they thought that a 16-year-old didn’t have the voice or the credibility to talk about these issues. And my response to that was, ‘I’m a teenage talking to other teenagers. Don't underestimate the power of a young voice.” [7]

Her book The Survival Guide to Bullying is both a memoir and a guide in which Aija Mayrock addresses teenagers directly and aims to help young people advocate for themselves. In the book, she uses poetry to inspire young readers.

Due to publisher's not giving a young author a chance, Aija self published her book initially. It soon caught the eye of Scholastic who acquired the book and published it nationally in 2015. (7) The Survival Guide to Bullying became a bestseller and was published in fifteen countries around the world.

Activism
Aija’s work with activism expands beyond writing.

After The Survival Guide to Bullying was published, Aija traveled around the United States working with schools and communities to tackle bullying. She created a free curriculum that taught students how to advocate for themselves and stand up to bullying, which was implemented in communities around the country. Aija has worked with over 4 million students nationwide.

For the 2018 mid term elections, Aija Mayrock teamed up with DOSOMETHING.ORG for the voter registration campaign, helping to register thousands of young people to vote.

Aija uses writing as a form of activism, tackling topics like sexual assault and sexual harassment, body image, and misogyny, bullying, suicide and mental health through spoken word and writing. Some of her most notable poems being The Truth About Being A Girl, Dear Girl, and Dear Sisters.

Education
Aija Mayrock graduated from New York University. At NYU she received an undergraduate degree from Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, focusing on social studies, women’s issues and writing. [9] Before even entering university, Aija had a book deal and worked on a global initiative focused on fighting injustice and discrimination.[10]

Recognition and Awards
Aija Mayrock’s debut book The Survival Guide to Bullying placed Mayrock as a #1 bestselling author.

Aija was named a Today Show Hero of 2018[15].

Mayrock also graced the cover of the Saks Fifth Avenue Fashion Book September 2018 Issue, as part of the Fearless Women campaign.

In high school, Aija won the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 10-10-10 competition for Best Screenplay. Aija also received the a Gold and Silver Key from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards [16] for her poetry and screenplays, while in high school.

Her work has been recognized by various news outlets, by the likes of Good Morning America, The Today Show [17], The View, Huffington Post Rise, Bustle, WWD, Teen Vogue, Fox News, Variety, and more [18] http://premierespeakers.com/aija_mayrock/bio.

Media

 * "The Truth About Being A Girl" video for NOW THIS news
 * “Dear Girl” video for Buzzfeed Videos
 * The Survival Guide To Bullying book
 * The View (2015)
 * A Heart’s Journey writer (2011)