The Power of Relationships by Aurora

The Power of Relationships by Aurora - May 2026 Scholarship Essay

One challenge that once felt completely intimidating to me was learning how to trust people again after being assaulted by a teammate in college.

Before that experience, I viewed relationships as sources of support, teamwork, and belonging. As a Division I student-athlete, I spent years building trust with teammates, coaches, and the people around me. I believed those relationships were supposed to make you feel safe. That belief changed after a teammate assaulted me when I rejected her sexual advances.

The hardest part was not only the assault itself, but everything that followed. I still had to share locker rooms, practices, bus rides, games, and everyday life with the person who hurt me. For 182 days and 7 hours, I carried fear and anxiety into every part of my routine. Spaces that once felt familiar suddenly felt unsafe. Even after the university completed its investigation and suspended her, the emotional aftermath remained. I struggled to sleep, trust people, and recognize the confident version of myself I used to be.

For a long time, relationships themselves became intimidating. I questioned people’s intentions constantly and stopped allowing myself to be emotionally vulnerable because I was afraid of being hurt again. I convinced myself that shutting people out was the safest option.

What changed was realizing that healing could not happen completely in isolation.

The relationships that helped me recover were not perfect ones; they were honest ones. Therapy taught me the importance of vulnerability and trust. Friends and family members who listened without judgment reminded me that I did not have to carry everything alone. Slowly, I began to understand that while relationships have the power to hurt people, they also have the power to heal them.

Writing also became a major part of that healing process. It gave me a way to process emotions I could not always say out loud. Through writing, I realized how many people silently carry experiences the world never sees. I learned that some of the strongest people are not the loudest ones in the room, but the people quietly surviving battles nobody else knows about.

Today, relationships no longer intimidate me in the same way they once did because I now understand what healthy connection looks like. I value honesty, empathy, emotional safety, and communication far more deeply than I once did. I have learned that meaningful relationships are not measured by how many people surround you, but by how safe you feel being fully yourself around them.

That lesson also shaped my future goals. Because of my experiences, I plan to pursue sports journalism and broadcasting so I can tell stories that make people feel seen, heard, and understood. I want to create the kind of trust with others that once helped me rebuild myself.

What once felt impossible -- trusting people again and allowing myself to be vulnerable -- has become manageable because I learned that healing is not weakness. Sometimes, it begins with allowing yourself to be supported by others.