Mary Hill is a survivor of a high school sexual assault and chose CMU specifically for the help it could offer her in recovering from her traumatic experience.

The Gaylord senior was receiving counseling through the Women’s Resource Center, and her counselor recommended the Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates program at CMU.

“A counselor at my high school told me about it, and I realized the program could do so many things to help me,” Hill said. “SAPA was a big chunk of why I came to CMU.”

Hill was assaulted six years ago. She was told the SAPA program was one of the best in the country and could help her deal with her experience.

“I made it through my trauma and wanted to talk about it,” Hill said. “It’s part of what I do now – talk about it.”

SAPA is a group of students trained to help with issues of sexual aggression through free and confidential services such as a 24-hour hotline, community advocacy and education.

Hill has been involved with the organization for three years and is in charge of the survivor story programs. She also runs SAPA Chat every week and has become an intern this semester in order to prepare for a graduate assistant position in the fall.

SAPA Chat, a new task for Hill, is an online advocacy program that is similar to the 24-hour hotline, except it is run through the America Online Instant Messenger service.

The chat sessions take place from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. every Wednesday and give people another outlet to get help.

Plenty of passion

Hill’s plate is pretty full with all of the responsibilities she has within the group and training to be a graduate assistant, but her passion has not diminished.

Steve Thompson, coordinator of Sexual Assault Services and physical education and sport associate professor, said Hill’s passion for the organization is what made her a good candidate for the grad assistant position.

“Mary is very approachable, but can be at any level she needs to be,” Thompson said. “She can be at the level of having to get inside someone or just at the level to give someone a hug. That is important for any SAPA.”

Thompson also said it is not unusual for people such as Hill to use SAPA for its services, like it and then join.

Not everyone makes the program, though, he said. Last year more than 70 people applied to be part of the organization, and SAPA only accepted 18.

“What’s going to be best for the survivors is what drives every decision of the program,” Thompson said. “That’s how we pick our GAs (graduate assistants), our members and create our policies – by that standard.”

Hill said she has had many great experiences being a part of the program, but the thing that keeps her going is the friends she’s made and getting to help people every day.

“I am honored that I’m on call all the time, on campus, and get to do something,” she said. “I had nothing after I was assaulted and had to rebound from it – to be able to give somebody something is an indescribable feeling.”

Hill will be starting graduate school at CMU in the fall to get her Master of Arts in counseling, with the hopes of traveling across the country to create programs for high school sexual assault victims.

She goes back to her high school every year and talks about her trauma in freshmen health classes to educate students.

“Education is key to me,” Hill said. “If I could tell my story for a living and get paid, that would be great. I’m a gung-ho SAPA; this is my heart and where I am.”

kmaurer@cm-life.com

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