Rachel Canning, 18, of New Jersey is suing her parents for financial support. College student Rachel Canning of Florida is using the teenager’s headline-making antics, and a case of mistaken identity, to do some good.



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Canning, the brunette legally challenging her mother and father in court to pay for school tuition and living expenses, gained international infamy this week for her lawsuit. Some people looking to connect with her online mistook her for the 22-year-old blond University of South Florida student. The two women look markedly different in social media profile photos, but this didn't stop commenters from inundating the wrong woman's account. Their thousands of messages range from lectures about how she should live a better life to remarks about how ungrateful she is. "It's really shocking how bold people can be when they're behind a computer screen," she says. "I think it really just speaks to how rampant cyberbullying has become, because people all over the country, all ages, thought it was appropriate to start messaging who they thought was this girl."

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Hoping to put a positive spin on the unpleasant situation, the Florida Canning used her homecoming queen campaign Facebook page, which has been the most popular account for Internet bashers because of its limited privacy settings, to raise awareness and money for autism. The page has been virtually obsolete since she was crowned in October, but her post explaining she was not the other notorious Canning was visited by more than 10,000 users.



In April, Canning is participating in the Autism Speaks walk in Tampa Bay, Fla., in honor of her 19-year-old brother, who has Asperger syndrome. Attempting to redirect the negative attention of those seeking the teen, she wrote, “So if you woke up this morning thinking "hmm let me message the wrong Rachel Canning and tell her I hope she gets hit by a bus" here's an opportunity to turn your day around with some positivity!” The post, which included a link to her fundraising page, was uploaded on Tuesday. By Wednesday, she reached her goal of $150; as of Friday, she has recieved over $1,000 in donations.



Not only is Canning raising awareness (and money) for autism, she has also come to the New Jersey girl's defense by responding to some of the hateful messages. “It’s not appropriate for middle-aged people to be spending their time cyberbullying a teenager,” she asserts.



It’s clear that the younger Rachel Canning has a lesson (or two) to learn from the more mature Rachel Canning.