Why I Chose FTH for my Internship

                                                 Hello!

I’m Allison, the newest intern at Fix the Hurt. Words cannot describe how happy I am to be helping these next few months with this amazing program and these wonderful people striving to make a difference. As a senior in Women and Gender Studies at Arizona State University I have had the privilege to hear Linda King’s story several times the last few years. Hers is a story that can touch everyone in some way and it certainly impacted me. The very first time I heard Linda speak was in one of my very first women and gender studies classes, Women and Violence. I was literally in tears by the end of her story and truly in awe by the end of the class. I heard the story yet again a semester later and the impact was no less. It wasn’t until the last time I heard her speak, however, that Linda opened a whole new avenue for me to explore. Linda had my entire Women and Social Change class act out what an unhealthy and healthy “support” network looks like in the context of domestic violence. At every level of help seeking by a victim of domestic violence, Linda emphasized listening and the importance of true support. With this powerful visual tool and between the statistics, the accounts, and experiences with domestic violence, I knew I not only had to be an ear for listening, but also a voice in teaching. Activism in the spreading of domestic violence awareness has been a key tenant of my last few semesters at ASU.  Because of the awareness I now have of domestic violence, in part due to Fix the Hurt and its mission, I am determined to share and help in any way I can to spread domestic violence awareness. If there’s one thing I have learned in my college experience with women’s studies it is the power of knowledge. Knowledge of domestic violence and everything, everyone that is connected to it will help Fix the Hurt.