Two years ago when Megan started 8th grade she was doing well in her classes and was a member of a cheerleading team. To meet her today, you would never guess that toward the end of that school year she experienced the worst event of her life.

When Megan was 14, she was invited to a party for local fans of a 17 yr. old social media "Vine" celebrity. She was thrilled when the he asked for everyone's contact information so he could stay in touch. She couldn't believe it when he reached out to her online and asked if she wanted to meet.

They met at a home in Tampa. At first, he was sweet and charming but soon made his intentions known. She resisted, but he forced himself on her. She left that day feeling ashamed, scared and traumatized.

She knew she needed to tell someone. She confided in a friend and word spread to a teacher in her school. Megan was soon referred to Sexual Assault Services (SAS) at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. The advocate and nurse examiner calmly explained the SAS process and put Megan and her family at ease as Megan went through the forensic interview and exam.

In the weeks that followed, word spread around the school about what had taken place. Instead of compassion and sympathy, many students in the school mocked and ridiculed Megan. They created fake social media accounts and bullied her online and in-person. Megan's SAS advocate explained that both the assault and the bullying were traumas she was experiencing. Her advocate recommended trauma therapy and even offered to sit with her during her first session at the Crisis Center's Corbett Trauma Center.

Megan's therapist worked with her to help her feel safe again. She encouraged Megan to acknowledge the assault and bullying as part of her life story, but helped her to gain a healthy perspective so those same events didn't define her self-worth.

Megan is now attending a different school and has big plans for the future. She will be dual enrolled in her high school and at HCC, where she will begin course work in Criminology. She is thankful to the donors, funding agencies, and staff that made the help she received at the Crisis Center possible. She writes about her experience:

"I found my light, my voice, my courage.  I found myself again when I came to the Crisis Center. It's a place I can feel safe again. I think about where I was and compare it to where I am now and the journey I've been on. It's amazing and it's truthfully breathtaking.   I'm ready to finally make a difference in someone else's life. I'm willing and praying I'll be able to give someone the hand I was reaching for and give them the courage and the voice to speak out. I want to be that light and I can be that light with the help I receive and continue to receive here at the Crisis Center."