The Blind Side' star encourages CSC students to mentor others

He encouraged CSC students to reach out and actively mentor middle school and high school students.

“Inspire them. You’re their role models. Whether you realize it or not, they’re watching you,” he said.

As a self-described skinny boy with crooked teeth, Aaron, now 32, said he was on the receiving end of a lot of bullying by peers including an incident where a teacher slapped him.

“I was going to tell her because I knew what she would do, but the hand print was still on my face when I went home from school,” Aaron said.

His mother confronted the teacher and dropped in periodically to see how others were treating her son. That was the end of bullying for Aaron.

“Everything I do is dedicated to her. Because of her power and her strength as a mother, I never stopped believing in myself,” said Aaron of his late mother.

After his success in the “The Blind Side,” Aaron realized how widespread the problem of bullying is and agreed to establish a foundation to help increase awareness and prevention of the problem.

“I love to help people and see people laugh,” he said of his active schedule of presenting school assemblies and college programs.

Aaron made the CSC audience laugh while talking about his crush on co-star Sandra Bullock, rude former classmates who contacted him via social media after his success and the “mother bear” instinct of his mother.

In addition to laughter, the evening performance included Aaron’s acapella performance of “Amazing Grace.”