Laura joined West Point from a family with long lineage of West Pointers.

Family stories about the ideals of the Military Academy and Military service echoed throughout Laura’s childhood and her acceptance as a new cadet was the end of that dream and the beginning of her life of service.

The idealism of West Point was tarnished by the actions of a few when Laura faced sexual harassment and a sexual assault in her first year at the Academy.

Laura’s grit, family support, and peers helped her turn the corner on her experience and graduate from West Point, but the pain lingered.

Laura lived a double life of high performance and high achievement on the outside, while struggling with self doubt and anxiety on the inside.

It was only when she was able to be herself and not the person that pain had turned her into that Laura was able to break down that barrier to peace.

This is her story.