- confidently having the power of language to label your experience as a form of sexual assault, no matter how it compares to others' experiences with sexual violence or intimate partner violence - Seeing others with similar experiences to mine share their stories and confidently claiming their right to survivorhood (ex: my college classmates, Dr. Blasey Ford) - Using your unique POV experience to help push society to recognize the full spectrum of sexual violence through - In a way... I'm thankful I became an anti-sexual violence professional BEFORE I identified as a survivor. It helped me heal from my buried trauma so much cleaner, and with less confusion and interference in my work. And it ensured my power in my chosen profession wasn't ignited out of pain or a desire for closure or justice. That might be a path other survivors take to heal their emotional wounds (which is totally understandable and valid), but I knew for me it that would never be realistic. I had to come to terms with my sexual violence experience in tandem with my professional advocacy experience. Because both simultaneously helped the other push forward and improve toward the best versions of myself (the survivors, and the professional).