Name: Pakhuri Bajaj
Major: Supply Chain Management
Year: Junior
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
What is SARV? The Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Prevention Program
What inspired you to become a SARV peer educator? I became a peer educator because I know of people who have been through these life-altering experiences back in my homeland. They felt absolutely helpless because they had no one to talk to and had no way to get help. This inspired me to get more involved in the movement so that the voices of victims from less open-minded nations wouldn’t go unheard.
What are your responsibilities as a peer educator? As a peer educator, I am expected to facilitate workshops to make sure that on-campus safety instructions are provided to incoming freshmen and transfer students in a prescribed format.
What inspired you to become a SARV intern? My interest in making a difference and wanting to be a part of the team that makes people believe that I believe them, I support them, and it’s not their fault.
What is a major goal of yours to accomplish as an intern? I hope to pilot the international student SARV workshops successfully and make them an integral part of our annual workshops.
What are some of the major differences between being a peer educator and being an intern? I am more in charge of making changes in scripts, general administrative work and also greater responsibility in terms of making a difference to the program as a whole. I am also majorly in charge of piloting all the international workshops and evaluating the performance of all the peer educators. It’s a bigger time commitment for sure, but I love it.
If you had to choose only ONE thing, what do you think is the most important takeaway for students who attend SARV workshops? I BELIEVE YOU, I SUPPORT YOU, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT! VICTIM BLAMING SHOULD NOT BE A THING!
What is your opinion of the current sexual assault and relationship violence climate on campus? It is a matter of concern, and we are doing all that we can to address it.
How has being an international student influenced your role as a peer educator and intern? It has helped me connect more with the ideals of domestic students and has shown me the differences of opinions in comparison to society back home. It also allows me to connect with other international students during workshops in a manner so as to facilitate mutual understanding and therefore, better deliverance of information.
Could you tell me more about the upcoming international student SARV workshops? There is a whole different script for it, which aims to provide useful information to international students in a safe environment and in translated languages.
In your opinion, what needs to happen in order to reduce campus sexual assault and relationship violence cases? Victim blaming needs to be reduced.