Personal Reflective Essay On Sexual Assault On College Campuses

The first time I stood in front of a crowd of 2,000 undergraduates, I could feel my heart prepare to leap out of chest. I had talked in front of crowds of 100 or smaller in the past, but the pressure was different. The associate dean of students was not in the wings listening and my face had never been a front for such a serious topic. On August 25th, 2015 I was one of the primary facilitators for the sexual violence education presentation named “Bear Pact” for the class of 2019. I had the necessary education to speak on the topic with passion and devotion, having spent the past two and a half years as a member of the University Health Services Sexual Health Education Program (SHEP). I had even personally helped edit the forty-minute presentation to create a sex positive comprehensive discussion on sexual assault on college campuses. But, those years of practice as a public speaker and my confidence in own education were little in the face of several thousand unenthusiastic freshmen. Although my hands …show more content…
When I broached the topic of stalking, of rape, our nominalization of victims grew in my eyes. I put myself on stage as myself. Brittany Scott, a 4th year political science student with a passion and love for my community as well as a passion for human rights and sexuality. I spoke up and out to freshmen in order to inspire a drive to protect and change our community from at least one of them. By stepping up issues often left in the dark and victims often shouldered with blame and castigation may one day find support from students in the crowd rather than reprimands for behavior. When I walked into my first interview with SHEP, I hardly believed I would one day stand in front of thousands of freshmen and possibly change the trajectory of lives, but I’m thankful for the direction it has lent