Growing up, my family was very involved in numerous ministries at a prominent evangelical megachurch. It was there that my entire life story would change after being sexually abused by a church employee/volunteer from age 15-19. Trauma has, undoubtedly, shaped my life, but it does not define it. Today I work to support other survivors in their journey to heal and be heard.

Since coming forward publicly with my #churchtoo story in 2017, I have become passionate about seeing sexual assault laws change in North Carolina to better support survivors, hold institutions accountable, and protect children. It is my hope that no other victim will feel discarded and alone in the way I did for many years.

In 2019, I worked alongside other advocates to help get the Safe Child Act passed in the state legislature. Survivors were granted a two-year lookback window to file civil lawsuits against their perpetrator or the organization that did not prevent the abuse. There is always more to be done, however, and I'm now talking to lawmakers about legislation that would prevent church members and clergy from using consent as a defense in statutory rape cases and establish a statewide database to track public school teachers and administrators who are credibly accused of sex acts with students.

In hopes of destigmatizing the issues of sexual abuse, mental health, and trauma, I have spoken with various media outlets. My story has been featured in Woman’s Day and Women's Health magazines, the News & Observer, Charlotte Observer, WRAL, WSOC, and CBS 17.