Before Taylor Swift became a global icon, she was just a young woman with dreams and determination. Those who knew her in those early days often had strikingly divisive opinions.

Some people like her, some people hate her and many people around the world are straight-up obsessed with her, but regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, everybody knows Taylor Swift. At least, everybody knows the character she portrays publicly — the badass empowering young girls on the Eras Tour, the doting girlfriend cheering on Travis Kelce at NFL games and the woman who was embroiled for years in drama with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. But what was Taylor Swift like before she was famous? Turns out, people had polar opposite opinions about her then, too.

Before the Eras Tour’s surprise songs and choosing a lucky fan to get the “22” hat, Taylor Swift and her parents spent years hustling to get her exactly where she is today — raking in millions of dollars each night on tour. The Times (UK) spoke to several people who knew Taylor Swift back then, with several of her teachers from her private elementary school Wyndcroft sharing sweet memories. Cafeteria manager Nancy Boerner recalls always having pleasant interactions with young Taylor, saying

First-grade teacher Maureen Pemrick called her a “little sunbeam” and said Taylor Swift was responsible for gathering her classmates together to have a group hug. Music teacher Barbara Kolvek, meanwhile, said the young artist was “a determined little thing” who didn’t mind playing a boy’s part in a school play. She even used her lunchtime to practice her solo.

sounds like that social aspect was even harder when, as a teenager, Taylor Swift and her family moved to Nashville. Kids at her school allegedly saw her as “a bit of a brat,” as she drove a Lexus convertible and modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch. A former classmate said Swift also made it known that she was going to be a star. They recalled