Written by: Arabella Derrick
During a tour at The Ohio State University, a quote by Roberto Clemente stood out: “If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don’t do that, you are wasting your time on this earth.” Girl Scouts had taught me a simpler version: leave a place better than you found it. For years, that meant stacking chairs and cleaning meeting rooms. Then life tested whether I could live that promise when nothing in my own world felt intact.
For most of my life, my world revolved around a Baptist church and the certainty of my parents' faith. I was the quintessential church kid, wearing private school uniforms, singing in choir, and leading chapel worship. My parents' strict boundaries were meant to protect me from a cruel world, but they left little room for mistakes or growth. When I experienced trauma, my beliefs collapsed. The Christian school that once felt safe became empty, and the God I trusted seemed silent. My grief and instability were reflected in my transcript as I struggled to survive. Watching classmates collect AP courses and achievements, I became convinced that my average grades and nonlinear path made me less deserving. I feared colleges would only see my GPA instead of the person behind it. For a long time, I believed my story was one of failure because I could not measure up to the traditional definition of success. Eventually, I stopped asking what I had lost and started asking what I could give. I realized my worth was not determined by grades but by what I chose to build from my experiences. Rather than allowing my trauma to define me, I transformed it into Project S.A.F.E. (Survivors Are Forever Empowered), my Girl Scout Gold Award.
Project S.A.F.E. provides Restoration Kits filled with comfortable clothing and essential items for survivors of sexual assault after forensic exams, along with a Digital Resource Compass connecting them to immediate support. Through awareness campaigns and a community 5K fundraiser, I transformed personal pain into action. While I cannot rewrite my past, I can help rewrite the aftermath for others. Every kit reminds a survivor that they are not alone during one of the hardest moments of their life. Creating Project S.A.F.E. reshaped my understanding of success. I learned that impact does not require perfection—it requires action. My grades reflect a season when I was fighting to survive, but my service reflects the person I chose to become. Instead of measuring success by test scores or class rank, I now measure it by the lives I can improve and the communities I can strengthen. My role is no longer to wait until I feel whole enough to help others, but to use my experiences to create support for people who feel unseen.
My academic journey has been unconventional, yet it has taught me resilience that no classroom alone could provide. I have rebuilt structure, set goals, and learned to move forward with intention. The scars I carry remain, but they remind me that brokenness and purpose can exist together. Success is no longer perfection; it is the courage to rebuild and leave the path easier for those who follow. College is the next step in fulfilling the responsibility I felt when I first read Clemente's words. I want to continue building systems of support for survivors while growing in an environment that challenges me academically and personally. My story is not defined by what broke me. It is defined by what I chose to build in response—and by my commitment to leave every place, and every person, better than I found them.
