Name: Grace Apolaya

Social Media Handle/Username: larrisgrace

Introduce Yourself/Tell About Yourself: Hi! My name is Grace and most people on social media know me as @larrisgrace. Honestly I don’t find myself very interesting, but I am 18 years old and live in the state of Indiana. My favorite things to do are editing (which explains my love for YouTube and fan edits). I would describe myself as a very emotional person, but happy at the same time! I love to make sure my friends and girlies are doing well and feeling amazing.

What Inspires You Every day? : It is not a “what” that inspires me. It is a “who”. The girlies. These are the people who I interact and have an amazing time with on social media. I love how they always hype me up (even though I look hideous), make me laugh, and let me know that I could always speak to them. I love all of their personalities, kindness, humor, and confidence. Camilla, Jojo, Aiden, Sammo, Farria, Azalea, Ryan, Lulya, Salma, Vanessa, Prince, Trinity, and so many other girlies…I love you guys! Thank you for making who I am today!

What is some words of wisdom you live by?: “There is always people that aren’t going to like you. All that matters is if you love yourself.” These words have helped me overcome my low self-esteem. I would always worry about how others would see me and that really affected my mental health. I always tried to be the perfect, smart, and helpful person I could be in order to be loved by someone else. Now I know that the most important thing is to love myself before others love me. Even if you’re perfect and kind, there are people out there who are going to bash you for how you look or how you act. You just have to live life without having any fears!

What is your ultimate goal in life? : My goal is to make sure that every person I know receives the most in their life. I know many girlies who can’t afford Girlies Merch so I try to save up money and do giveaways just for them! Every year for my friends’ birthdays I make sure I make it the best for every year because I want them to know that I love them and I would do anything for them. All I want in the world is for the hate and discrimination to end. These actions separate us and even during a pandemic, we need to be together. We are all human. We all breath the same air and live on the same earth.

How have you been during the pandemic and how has it affected you? : The pandemic really has affected my mental health a bit too much. It was my junior year when it all started and I thought it would end during my senior year but nope! I was devastated when I found out graduation wasn’t going to be the same, some social events have been cancelled and that there was less fun things for us. Life does go on though! This pandemic has also helped me in many ways. It inspired me to get involved with social media more often. I love the effect that I have on most people! Even if I think one of my YouTube videos aren’t funny, the girlies support me! I love to make others laugh, which is why I spent most of my time editing silly things during the pandemic. I know the pandemic has hurt others in many other ways so I wished to help bring a smile to their faces during these difficult times!

What is a message you would like to give others? : Don’t give up. Life goes one. People change and people grow. These three things are very important to me. I’ve noticed most girlies have been feeling like giving up and I want them to know that the dark days always have a bright ending! Even if you really want to give up, don’t! Even if the pain is unbearable, don’t let it win! You got this warrior! And people change, of course. We all make new friends, grow up, and find new interest in things. We won’t always stay watching the childhood shows we’ve watched to learn our ABCs. We won’t stay being friends with the same people. Just because someone seemed to have “changed” doesn’t mean that they changed for the worst. The person could have had a bad past and are much happier! People bash others for being different and of course they’re different. They’ve grown into a better and happier version of themselves.

What else would you like to tell others about you or your life?: If you ever need someone to talk to or something feel free to reach me! I have so much spare time (have you seen my edits?) so I would love to hear you out whenever you need someone! There is no judgement here because I know everyone has a different life and a different point of view on things. Always remember there is someone out there that will be there for you. Always.