The Experience that Lives On Anonymous

"Can I touch you there?" As an 8-year-old, I didn't know what to say. I was obedient. I was shy. I was afraid of speaking up and being judged. So instead of answering the question, I stayed silent and was sexually abused by a family member. He took advantage of my innocence and timidity. When my aunt found out and confronted me upon the matter, I burst into tears because I knew that this was going to spread like forest fire to everyone in the family tree, and I was going to be humiliated as being the victim of an assault. Unfortunately, things went in a different direction.

My family members were appalled and in disbelief because this was not “like him” and thought that I was just a naïve and young girl who did not fully comprehend the situation. But I understood everything; this frustration created my epiphany for the development of my ongoing drive to success.

At first, the questions of “what ifs” and “why didn’t I” popped up; I wanted to regret all of it, but instead, I spun it around.

This experience has given me the strength to persevere and present me with more of a profound outlook on life. Weakness was not my option anymore. My mindset was to lead and be informed and up-to-date with everything. Holding...