To the man who sexually assaulted me,

On March 17, 2014, you did something to me that I'll never forget. It's an event that will continue to play over and over in my mind, an event that has shaped me and molded me into the person I am today. That night you made me your victim, and I was weak and scared. Today, I am a survivor who is strong and forever changed.

I used to believe that sexual assault and rape weren't a big problem in our society. I thought it was mainly just girls who wanted attention or were mad at a man, so they simply accused them of something they didn't do. However, you made me part of the statistics. You made me one of the one in five women who are sexually assaulted during her college career. You made me open my eyes and realize how blind I was. For example, I didn't believe Erica Kinsman when she first came out about being raped by Jameis Winston. It seemed so convenient that the accusations were coming out during the same period that he was leading Florida State to the national football championship. However, now I realize she wouldn't have gone through all of the public shaming and criticism to defend a false accusation. Also, when you look back on the case she tried to bring charges against Winston before he became the football star. However, her case was poorly handled by the police department, whether it was on purpose or not, no one will ever really know. Erica was braver than me. She went to the police, something I should have done with you.

I used to think that if someone was sexually assaulted or raped they would tell the police right away. I couldn't believe the stories of women who waited years to try and bring up charges against their attackers. Now I am able to understand these women, I waited a year and 10 months to even tell my parents about my assault. I didn't want to talk about that night and answer the questions I knew people would have. These women who choose to come forward immediately tend to be picked apart by law enforcement and their school officials if they are in college. It's easier for a school to sweep a charge like this under the rug than actually deal with it. I'll now believe someone even if they say it was something that happened ten years ago and I'll believe every detail that they tell me. An assault is not something you forget, and it's not something you can just bury in the back of your mind. Thanks to you I know that from first-hand experience.

Thanks to you, I now know how loved and supported I am. When I finally came out about you I was showered with love and support. My parents weren't mad at anyone but you and they wished I would have told them a long time ago so I could have the justice I deserve. Friends opened up to me about similar experiences. I'm part of a sisterhood I never wanted to be a part of but I'm so glad I have their support. Because of you, I am a part of the one out of three women who experience sexual assault in their lifetime. Because of you, I will advocate for other survivors in anyway possible. I'm not the same 20-year-old victim who felt weak, dirty, disgusting, and almost unlovable. Now I am a survivor who is loved, strong, confident, and no longer scared to talk about you.