By: Valentina Toro
Managing Editor
Survivors of domestic violence shared their personal experiences with students Oct. 28, during an awareness event in the School of Business aimed at educating students about abusive relationships, recognizing warning signs and the importance of seeking support.
The Women in Leadership Academy partnered with First Love Yourself, Inc. to organize the event. The program brought survivors and advocates together to discuss controlling behavior, emotional abuse, personal safety and recovery.
“Although domestic violence can be a difficult and uncomfortable topic to discuss, it’s a conversation that needs to happen,” accounting major Mirza Fahmida, a junior and vice president of WILA, said.
Fahmida said the organization held a similar event with F.L.Y. founder Denisse Luciano last year.
After that program, members decided domestic violence awareness should become an annual event for the academy.
Fahmida said college students are developing independence and entering new relationships, making conversations about boundaries and respect particularly relevant.
Students may overlook troubling behavior or excuse disrespectful comments when they care about someone, Fahmida said.
“Just because certain behaviors become normalized doesn’t mean anyone should have to tolerate them,” Fahmida said. “By bringing these conversations to campus, we’re encouraging students to recognize their worth, establish healthy boundaries, and understand what respect in a relationship should look like.”
During the event, Luciano shared her experience of homelessness at 18 and described a relationship that began with a man offering her food and clothing but became abusive after she moved into his home.
“I wanted to be loved, and I wanted to be safe,” Luciano said. “The man who told me he would keep me safe became the man that I was trying to escape.”
Luciano also described controlling behavior during a later marriage, explaining how emotional abuse can precede physical violence.
Other survivors recounted experiences involving threats, isolation and efforts to leave dangerous relationships.
One speaker described surviving an attack by her former partner in October 2023 after enduring repeated monitoring and threats.
She said her son helped her contact emergency services after she escaped the attack.
The discussion also highlighted how abuse can affect people beyond romantic partners, including children and other family members.
Fahmida said hearing directly from survivors connected the event’s message about domestic violence awareness with empowerment and self-love.
She emphasized that leaving an abusive relationship is not always simple or safe and can require considerable support.
“A common message throughout their stories was the importance of rediscovering their self-worth, rebuilding their confidence, and learning to love themselves again,” Fahmida said.
Fahmida said the organization hopes students will recognize unhealthy situations, support friends or relatives who may be experiencing abuse and understand that help is available.
There were also several on and off campus resources in attendance to highlight reaching out for help.
She also wants conversations about domestic violence to continue beyond a single campus event.
“At the end of the day, if even one person left the event feeling more informed, empowered, or confident enough to seek help for themselves or someone else, then I believe we accomplished something meaningful,” Fahmida said.
