By Healthy Panther Post reporters | Empathy is the ultimate bullying prevention strategy, according to Ms. Vee, MaST Community Charter school counselor.

She believes that if you can empathize with someone, you can understand how another person feels.

Ms. Vee explained empathy is meeting someone where they’re at, seeing things from their perspective, and not making an assumptions.

Healthy Panther Post reporters interviewed Ms. Vee to gain a better understanding of the importance of empathy and how it can affect ourselves and others.

Merriam-Webster.com describes empathy as “the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences.” It is good for people because it can make someone feel better and become a better person.

“It also helps us to feel valued, loved, and cared for,” according to WellbeingPeople.com.

Ms. Vee encourages lessons that help bring awareness of how to spread empathy within a student’s community. Panther Pride assemblies are held at MaST each month and can help motivate students to display positive behaviors, such as respect, preparation, integrity, excellence, and determination.

Be careful that you don’t assume you know what’s on someone’s mind. Ms. Vee said she encountered a student who made a mistake and thought they understood what someone else was thinking. However, they didn’t. Making the assumption that you understand someone else’s feelings can escalate to misunderstandings and the dismissal of the other person’s emotions, Ms. Vee said.

“It can make people more connected if we understand each other,” she said, adding that lending a helping hand to others undergoing a tough situation can help the school climate.

Illustration by Maria, eighth grade, Catholic Partnership Schools, 2023–24.