In the eyes of the law I was seen as an adult when I had just turned seventeen. I pressed charges against my former boss who had sexually assaulted me multiple times. Growing up constantly being pulled out of class due to social workers puts you in a spotlight, but a situation like this makes you feel like you have a target on your back. I was seen as a victim and the latest gossip by my peers and mentors. After months of leaving class to talk to detectives the district attorney met with me and told me she wasn’t going to follow through with my case. During the meeting she was reading the wrong case file but even after I corrected her it was the same answer. I felt like the justice system had failed me. I tried continuing my highschool career but I was everyone’s favorite topic. After weeks of crying in the halls I decided to drop out of school.I lost everything, I lost my job and friends. My reputation and mental health were in shambles. In the months I spent alone I did extensive EMDR therapy. I had to relearn how to live and through this journey I met a group of friends who all are becoming engineers. Prior to meeting them I never saw myself going back to school. They encouraged me to go back to highschool and I will be receiving my highschool diploma this summer. Hearing about their studies I felt like I was opened up to a new world. College has always been something foreign to me due to my family always dropping out. I was taught throughout my childhood that when things get rough to give up, but after my entire world crumbled I learned to keep pushing through.I have seen the things my friends are capable of and I know I am too. I just never thought it was a possibility because of my financial status. I spend the majority of my time working and paying bills. My family is from Fayetteville and we have always lived below the poverty line. I come from a single income household now but I have been helping my parents pay bills since the age of eleven. I’ve been set back in life but I'm trying to give myself the best opportunity. This scholarship would give me a chance to catch up. It’s not easy being behind my peers but I'm determined to pursue my dream in engineering. It's rumored that trauma stunts your growth but I strive to make sure that’s not true. I am not just a victim, I am a person, I am a problem solver, and I am a future engineer who is capable of great things.