8-Year-Old Girl Bullied For Loving Bugs Gets Surprise Honor By Scientist
1010 WINS -- An 8-year-old girl once bullied for her love of bugs is now showing everyone up by co-authoring a scientific paper.
Sophia Spencer was frequently teased by students for her unique hobby so her mother decided to reach out to scientists for support.
In a letter she wrote, "If someone could talk to her for even five minutes, I would appreciate it so much. I want her to know from an expert that she's not weird or strange."
A young girl who loves insects is being bullied & needs our support. DM your email & we'll connect you! #BugsR4Girls pic.twitter.com/kjtfSJSlre
— Entomological Society of Canada (@CanEntomologist) August 25, 2016
The Entomological Society of Canada tweeted the letter with the hashtag, #BugsR4Girls.
The response to the tweet was overwhelming, with many entomologists offering words of encouragement and support.
When scientist Morgan Jackson heard her story, he wanted to co-author a scientific paper with the budding scientist.
I'm really proud of this piece, and am thrilled to share the publishing experience with Sophia, who I met & collected bugs with this summer pic.twitter.com/s7SiT7giIl
— Morgan Jackson, PhD (@BioInFocus) September 6, 2017
In the paper, Sophia wrote, "It felt good to have so many people support me, and it was cool to see other girls and grown-ups studying bugs."