Her peers call her fat, lazy and ugly, but there is more to junior Diana Collins than what meets the eye, according to friend and Upward Bound advisor Honora Buell.
A constant stream of comments and insults have been thrown at junior Diana Collins since she moved to Coos Bay in 2008. Collins has struggled with her weight since she was young, and has had to deal with bullies because of it. This, according to Buell, has not changed her motivation, however.

“I think for her, her high school battle has always been uphill, but she never, ever gives up,” Buell said.

Buell and Collins met in 2013 when Buell was hired as the Upward Bound advisor, a federally funded program which helps low income and first generation college-bound students with college research and career exploration.

“We’re the parent that went to college for those that don’t have a parent that went to college,” Buell said.

At the time, Collins was an aid in Student Services. Buell quickly targeted Collins for the program, which eventually led them to be close friends.

“She basically picked at me until I signed up for the program,” Collins said. “Now I go to her for counseling and she even comes to my hair appointments.”

Earlier in the year, junior Heidi Baer became acquainted with Collins and the two are now friends who tackle problems together. Baer said she tries to be honest with Collins, a quality many people do not fully appreciate.

“I tell her straight up what’s going on,” Baer said. “It’s what I’m good at.”

According to Buell, she talks frequently with Collins about food. She said her goal is to see Collins be healthy but also happy.

“It’s all about being able to do the things you want to do,” Buell said.

According to Collins, it is a cycle of “lows” that cause her to gain weight. In hard times she turns to food for comfort, but she does not always struggle.

“I don’t call it depression. A lot of times I’m down, but when I’m not down I eat pretty much normal,” Collins said. “People tell me to when I get down just get back up, but after hearing it over and over and over again I start to believe, ‘Wow, there really must be something wrong with me.’”

Collins is working toward moving on from the past and making the path to a better and healthier future, which includes college. She is currently involved in the culinary program at school, one of her go-to passions.

Collins has the ability to accept challenges and to always take responsibility for her actions, according to Buell. She struggles in school and is currently having to take extra classes to make up for credits lost early in her high school career, which she attributes partially to the hardships she has had to endure daily at school. At this point, she is on track for graduation with her class.

“I think that she’s really willing to step up and take responsibility for things, and she will figure out what she needs to do on her own,” Buell said.

This may stem from the excessive amount of responsibility she has had to take on at home, Buell said. Collins does much of the grocery shopping and is always walking everywhere she needs to be from the trailer she has lived in since she was 10. Her living conditions, she said, provide privacy issues and close quarters with her mom, but it is not always all bad.

“She has had to take on more responsibility than most 15 or 16 year olds,” Buell said.

As of now, Collins said she believes students should make Marshfield a better place by cutting down on bullying and recognizing the struggles their peers may endure, such as weight gain.

“There are a lot of stereotypes around weight and body image,” Buell said. “Diana wants to break down those stereotypes and is realizing not everyone’s the same and that’s okay.”

Among many personal goals, Collins strives to be a chef and to open her own coffee café. She wants to help those in need of extra income, such as the homeless, in order to provide opportunity for families in need.

Buell said Collins has multiple positive characteristics.

“[She is] determined, hardworking, resilient,” Buell said.

These words are much different than the ones she endures from her peers and Collins is focused on the positive.