Second semester freshmen year, I had ended an abusive relationship. Despite having people all around me, I felt alone. As far as I knew, I was the only one to experience such a situation first-hand. I had the overwhelming feeling that I was damaged, and since everyone knew about it I felt judged. When I reported my situation to the building CORE and the university's Title IX Coordinator, they both suggested I join the dating violence support group. When I heard everyone's story I thought that my experiences were not as bad as I had thought, and I was almost afraid to share my story. When I got the courage to speak to the young women in the room and the facilitator of the group I was shocked at the response.
These women were some of the most compassionate and caring people I had ever met. And none of them had let what happened to them dictate their lives. They were glowing, they were bright. We talked about harsh stuff, but the sense of strength in that room was amazing.
The participants are all amazing and I am forever grateful to the wonderful human being that facilitates and deals with our antics and bends over backward to make sure we can all make it to meetings and that we leave feeling positive.
I never saw myself as a support group person but this is one decision I'll never look back on. Thank you to all the wonderful people who made finding support possible.
