Lucy Aharish still remembers walking into the bathroom of her school and seeing the words that were painted on the walls, “Lucy is a dirty Arab,” “Death to Arabs.” Each day, her principal would bring a bucket of paint to school and paint over the messages, but the hurt remained.

Aharish recalls another incident where her family was returning from shopping for the day when a terrorist threw a Molotov cocktail into their family car. Aharish’s family survived, but the face of the man who tried to kill her family and the sounds of her family screaming in terror remained.

Today, things look very different for Aharish. As the first Arab-Israeli news anchor for Primetime Channel 2 News, she uses her experiences with prejudice, discrimination and bullying to promote coexistence within Israel. Talking to students at Grand Valley State University on April 13, Aharish spread the word about the importance of tolerance, understanding and the value of self-worth.

Aharish grew up in the Jewish development town of Dimona, Israel. Though Aharish had a Israeli passport and citizenship, the world she lived in was one focused around an anti-Arab culture.

“(Israel) is my country. I couldn’t understand why people, my own people, didn’t want me here,” Aharish said.

She saw Arab discrimination again when she entered the work force. Aharish remembers going into an interview for a job and hearing her potential employers talk through the walls about how they couldn’t hire her because of her Arab background. But, Aharish wouldn’t take no for an answer, she knew she had the talent it took and she ended up getting the job.

It was her determination to become a part of the news world that presented her with the opportunity to light the torch during the torch-lighting ceremony, which officially marked the beginning of the 67th Israeli Independence Day celebrations.

“It was such an honor, especially during a time where Arab people were seen as a potential danger,” Aharish said.

Aharish reiterated the fact that she does not want to be seen as a hero, but rather as an individual who asked the questions that needed to be asked.

“I am not apologizing for anything, and I am not a victim,” Aharish said.

During her presentation, Aharish also encouraged citizens of the U.S. to consider what life is like for someone facing constant terror before making assumptions about Israel.

“The real issue is not about what you see on the news, it’s not about what you hear on the radio, it’s not black and white,” Aharish said.

To draw her presentation together, Aharish told the audience that one of the most important things that kept her going throughout school and her entrance in to her professional career was something her mother told her.

“My mother used to tell me that I should always be proud of who I am,” Aharish said. “I’m Lucy. I’m Muslim. I’m Arab, and I am proud. I refuse to be irrelevant.”