just alyssa

We all have a story. Some novels are obviously more exciting or dramatic than others. I live a very un-extraordinary life with a story that is barely worthy of pages in a journal.  I am not likely to win a Nobel Prize or cure cancer or marry a prince or become a world famous writer. I probably won’t lose my limbs in a shark accident or go blind due to chemicals in a face wash. I will continue to be the Alyssa I have always been. The girl who worries an unhealthy amount about everything and is constantly paranoid about someone breaking into the house. The girl who will scream all day about sexism and women’s rights, but let people trample on her feelings to avoid confrontation. Even with as flawed and as messy as being that “Alyssa” can be…I wouldn’t know how to change… I’m stubborn and pessimistic and my moods fly like a car on a roller coaster. Even when I know I’m being the most irrational creature on the planet….I still act the same way… I’ll always dis...

Every 2 minutes another American is sexually assaulted. That means in the time it takes to brush my teeth and wash my face, at least 2 people have been victimized… All new students at SIU have to complete an online course on consent and respect, in regards to sexual assault. I narrowly escaped this seminar last semester, but not this semester. I was frustrated and annoyed as the reminders kept popping up, letting me know I was not in compliance with the University and that the deadline was October 31 st . So to prevent further issue, today I dedicated an hour of my day to complete the training. As I’m sitting here, thinking about how pointless it is for me to do this training, reading about sexual assault and what true consent really means, I realized that while I, personally, don’t need this training, some people really do. I’m reading about the statistics of on campus rapes and reporting incidents and what that means, and I’m thinking about all the people I know personal...