By Victoria Denis

In the darkened auditorium, Campus Outreach Services speaker April Tatta displayed a series of statistics in front of hundreds of students.

33 percent of scholarship applicants are denied because of what is found online. 25 percent of employees are fired because of online misbehavior. 32 percent of teens have sent a nude or semi-nude picture of themselves. 

At the Cyber-bullying Assembly on November 20, Tatta shared various stories about the consequences of neglecting Internet safety.

Many students said they didn’t realize that what they post on social networkings sites could affect their chances of getting into colleges, receiving scholarships, and getting a job.

“The assembly was actually really good,” senior Max Onofre said. “A lot of kids don’t know that when you post something, it’s no longer yours and anyone can see it.”

Principal Michael Westfall said he hopes this assembly will make students think twice before posting online.

“I’m hoping that, especially from a female perspective, students realize that some of the things that they post can have negative consequences,” Westfall said. “On the other side, that some things they post can have positive consequences. You just have to be selective.”

Tatta left students with the message to be careful and consider their futures.

“Don’t let something that seems awesome in the moment derail your hopes for the future,” Tatta said. “You can live your life like a flip of the coin. You can go with whatever feels right in the moment or you can choose to win.”