Life is an endless journey defined by our own unique experiences, whether that be joyful or detrimental. My experience with sexual assault at such a young age and the effects of that act has profoundly shaped my goals, relationships, and view on the world. My story isn't just a traumatic event for me, but it was a chance for me to grow and become stronger. It has become a foundation for me to build upon, not just sulk over. The incident that changed my life forever came so unexpectedly and altered my view on the world. A person that I trusted so much at 13 years old suddenly took everything from me, repeatedly. They took my strength, my voice, and my dignity. I was left with confusion, shame, and overbearing amounts of sadness. My mental health only continued to decline as fought to process the trauma. Eating became a chore, and I struggled to eat for years after the incidents. I distanced myself from everyone and everything: family, friends, and my favorite activities. My assault left me feeling like nothing, and my abuser took over my life. I felt as if my innocence was snatched from me, and I felt ashamed and blamed myself. I was left with invisible scars that no one knew about or could see. To this day, I have never opened up about this, but I took it upon myself to heal and become stronger than I was before. Trauma like this changes your view on basically everything around you. I found it very hard to trust anyone after what I encountered. I found myself re-evaluating the connections I had with others and became scared to gain connections with others. I never reached out to family about my experience, so I never really got the help I needed. However, as time went on, I took my troubles into my own hands and learned to accept instead of deny. I started opening up to my friends, family, and lover about my assault and was showered with unwavering support and reassurance. This alone gave me enough strength to start to grow from my experience. Instead of fearing others, I started building new relationships that were beneficial to me. This experienced deepened my sense of empathy and ability to connect with others. I started caring more deeply about others and truly thinking about other's lives and what may be going on that others cannot see. I developed a love for making people smile and making sure they are okay. My heightened sensitivity has allowed me to build more meaningful relationships, not just for me but for others around me. This experience that made my life feel ruined started turning into a reason to keep on living. I chose to transform my pain into a source of strength and purpose. It has driven me to be a better person for myself and others. I now recognize that everyone has their invisible scars, and it is important to check up on others and treat people with kindness. Although I cannot change what happened to me, I can use it as motivation to be my best and to help others for as long as I am alive. Every day, I strive to embody strength and resilience to empower myself and those around me. I live my life to ease the pain of my younger, 13 year old self in hope of making her proud.

Life is an endless journey defined by our own unique experiences, whether that be joyful or detrimental. My experience with sexual assault at such a young age and the effects of that act has profoundly shaped my goals, relationships, and view on the world. My story isn't just a traumatic event for me, but it was a chance for me to grow and become stronger. It has become a foundation for me to build upon, not just sulk over. The incident that changed my life forever came so unexpectedly and altered my view on the world. A person that I trusted so much at 13 years old suddenly took everything from me, repeatedly. They took my strength, my voice, and my dignity. I was left with confusion, shame, and overbearing amounts of sadness. My mental health only continued to decline as fought to process the trauma. Eating became a chore, and I struggled to eat for years after the incidents. I distanced myself from everyone and everything: family, friends, and my favorite activities. My assault left me feeling like nothing, and my abuser took over my life. I felt as if my innocence was snatched from me, and I felt ashamed and blamed myself. I was left with invisible scars that no one knew about or could see. To this day, I have never opened up about this, but I took it upon myself to heal and become stronger than I was before. Trauma like this changes your view on basically everything around you. I found it very hard to trust anyone after what I encountered. I found myself re-evaluating the connections I had with others and became scared to gain connections with others. I never reached out to family about my experience, so I never really got the help I needed. However, as time went on, I took my troubles into my own hands and learned to accept instead of deny. I started opening up to my friends, family, and lover about my assault and was showered with unwavering support and reassurance. This alone gave me enough strength to start to grow from my experience. Instead of fearing others, I started building new relationships that were beneficial to me. This experienced deepened my sense of empathy and ability to connect with others. I started caring more deeply about others and truly thinking about other's lives and what may be going on that others cannot see. I developed a love for making people smile and making sure they are okay. My heightened sensitivity has allowed me to build more meaningful relationships, not just for me but for others around me. My experience has had a profound effect on my view of the world and life. At first, I was scared of the world and what it holds for me, but after I started to heal I decided to see life from a view of compassion and understanding. I now recognize that everyone has their invisible scars, and it is important to check up on others and treat people with kindness. Although I cannot change what happened to me, I can use it as motivation to be my best and to help others for as long as I am alive. As for my goals, I have decided I want to pursue a career where I can make a meaningful impact on people in any way I can. I aspire to be remembered for my empathetic and helpful tendencies. I envision a future where I can combine my personal insights with professionalism to provide help and hope to those in need. As I take on this next chapter of my life, I carry with me all my experiences to motivate me further. I want to excel academically, help others, and contribute to a world of kindness and compassion. In order to do so, I need to further my education to pursue a career I love. However, the reality of that weighs heavy on my shoulders. As the first in my family to attend college, the dream of being a first-generation student holds a strong significance for me. It not only makes history in my family, but it represents all of the self-discipline and hard work I have put in to my education career. However, the reality of the situation is that my financial situation poses a significant challenge to my dream. With my father being the only source of income for my family of five, it places my dream of higher education in a place of uncertainty. As of now, the estimated cost of my four year pathway is unrealistic to my father's income plus the outrageous cost of living in today's world. This financial burden threatens my aspirations and makes the idea of college education seem out of reach. Nevertheless, I am remaining hopeful that my evident determination and passion reflects on my financial aid opportunities and support my dream of helping others and living with purpose.