Living Loud and Proud

On Wednesday, January 13, 2016, students of Aurora High School attended an assembly on the value of self-worth and tolerance. This assembly was conducted by Justin Bachman.

Bachman is 18-years old, and at first glance, he appears to be just like us. However, that’s not the case.

Bachman had been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at an early age. The medical condition, which causes him to make uncontrollable noises and movements, was detrimental to his school life. Bullied multiple times in elementary school, Bachman attempted suicide three times before he even turned 11 years old.

His uncontrollable movements, or tics, led Bachman to be disqualified from a cross-country meet. The decision was received very poorly from his fellow teammates, who attempted to get him back on the team. Bachman himself was devastated, but otherwise understood.

“I was basically moral support in cross country,” Bachman said.

Despite the challenges that he faced, Bachman made the best of his predicament, and began programs designed for students struggling from intolerance to post their stories and let their voices be heard.

Different Like You, an organization founded by Bachman, was designed to recognize all of the great things people do every day, according to their website.

“We still wish to provide that recognition and encourage involvement in [the] community,” their website states. “Our goals have evolved as a result of our own journey of dealing with intolerance.”

Different Like You originally began as Honor Good Deeds. Their website describes Different Like You as “the next level” in enhancing their message to build self-esteem. The organization’s Online Outlet is their main form of communication.

“We’ve been focusing on developing the Online Outlet so we can reach people outside of Ohio,” Bachman said. “Kind of like a broad perspective.”

The Online Outlet allows users to submit videos of their personal experiences with intolerance or other issues, and how they’ve managed to solve or escape their predicament. The videos also encourage people to get involved with organizations or projects to help solve their personal struggles.

The site is relatively new, and therefore, hasn’t received as much traffic as Bachman has hoped.

“I want to get one million videos in the database,” Bachman said. “Right now, we’re lucky if we even have over one-hundred.

Bachman has put most of his time into running Different Like You that he hasn’t had much free time. He has spoken in 16 states to over 70,000 people. If he’s not on the road promoting and telling his stories, then he’s at school.

“I'm studying broadcast journalism at Syracuse University,” Bachman said. Bachman originally had nothing to do with journalism, but felt it was a valuable subject that could help spread his message. He aspires to have a talk show.

“I want to be a face that people could name and trust to share my stories.”