An 8-year-old girl who was relentlessly bullied over her passion for bugs and insects is now a published author in a scientific journal.
As ABC News reports, Sophia Spencer, of Ontario, Canada, garnered international attention from renowned entomologists around the world when her mom wrote an email to the Entomological Society of Canada.
In the email, Sophia’s mother asked for a role model to give her little girl, who was obsessed with bugs.
Sophia’s mom later revealed that her daughter was thinking of giving up her hobby after she was made fun of at school.
"She told me she didn’t want to do it anymore and I didn’t think that was right," Spencer told ABC News. "I didn’t think it was right she would stop something she loved for so long just because she didn’t fit in with her classmates.All Spencer wanted was for an entomologist from the society to talk to Sophia, but what she received in return was a wave of kindhearted responses from entomologists all over the world.
It didn’t take long before the hashtag #BugsR4Girls went viral in honor of Sophia.
After receiving more than 300 replies, Sophia now has several pen pals who also share her love of bugs.
"Sophia just got her passion back," Spencer said. "Once we started getting the comments back, she said she’s not the weird one for liking bugs. She’s going to like bugs no matter what people think."
Morgan Jackson, a 33-year-old entomology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Guelph, also connected with Sophia.
Jackson, a social media volunteer for the Entomological Society of Canada, ultimately decided to go on a two-hour bug hunting expedition with Sophia.
“I could tell she was super enthusiastic and really curious about and keen about learning more about them,” Jackson told ABC News of meeting Sophia on Skype.
"I’ve never seen her so happy to have another bug person with her," said Spencer, who revealed that Sophia has loved bugs ever since she visited a butterfly conservatory as a toddler.
Shortly after meeting Sophia, Jackson was asked to contribute an article for the Annals of the Entomological Society of America. He then asked the little girl to be his co-author.
The pair now share a byline on an article entitled, “Engaging for a Good Cause: Sophia's Story and Why #BugsR4Girls.”
“After my mom sent the message and showed me all the responses, I was happy. I felt like I was famous. Because I was!,” Sophia wrote in the article. “It felt good to have so many people support me, and it was cool to see other girls and grown-ups studying bugs.”
She continued, “It made me feel like I could do it too, and I definitely, definite"