Hometown: Muscatine, IA
Major: Psychology and Spanish
Campus Involvement: I’m the Vice President of the Sexual Assault Awareness Team (SAAT), a member of the Spanish Club, and part of the Honors Program.
Why Ambrose? I chose Ambrose because my sister went here before me and I really liked it when I visited her. We also have a Master’s of Social Work program here that I hope to get into for graduate school.
What are you passionate about? One of my biggest passions is being a part of SAAT because I like making a difference on campus by making our campus safer for everybody. As a member of SAAT, I help raise awareness, teach prevention tips, and act as an advocate for people that have been sexually assaulted. As an advocate, I listen to their stories and provide them with resources; if the victim was treated poorly at any time after the assault, I help them deal with that and work to make sure future victims are not treated in that way.
What is your favorite SAAT event? Definitely “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” which happens in April. This is an event for guys to come show their support for raising awareness and prevention on our campus. They literally put on a pair of women’s shoes and walk a mile in them.
What has SAAT done for you? SAAT has made me more aware of the problem on our campus and in our community. It has given me a way to create social change and justice. What I have learned from SAAT makes me think about my surroundings and will hopefully prevent myself from being assaulted.
Where do you want SAAT to take you? SAAT has already helped me find my passion in life. So, by continuing my work with SAAT, I hope I will learn more ways I can help victims and prevent this from happening. Once I get my graduate degree, working with sexual assault victims is a likely career path for me.
When does SAAT meet? We meet the 2d and 4th Thursdays of every month at 7pm in the Beehive.
What do you live by? My motto in life is that we can never know the struggles of another person so, therefore, we can’t judge them; we can only empathize with them and try to help them.