Day One Client
Transcribed from an audio interview. Responses have been edited for clarity.
I’m in school for Human Services, and I think Day One is the reason why. Because I was in law school. And then, out of situations of my life that got me to Day One, I discovered this field, and I really love it. It was just amazing. It was a big discovery for me.
I was going through domestic violence when I came to Day One. It wasn’t as physical as other cases could be, but it was emotionally and verbally distressing. And my situation was special because I’m an immigrant, and I didn’t have the paperwork needed to leave the situation, so I felt as I had no idea what to do. I was brand new here in this country, and I’m glad I was given help from Day One, because they have helped me to realize that I do have rights, and I don’t have to stay with a person just because I need the paperwork, or I need, you know, financial support, or all of that. And in the two years I’ve been with Day One, I’ve been able to move from that situation and become much more independent.
I owe everything I’ve accomplished in the last two years to Day One. Not only in therapy, but also, I had no idea how to apply for FAFSA, how to check Blackboard, basically all the things I needed for school and life. I’ve been given all of these skills here, as well as the tools to emotionally handle things, to prepare myself to cope with the past abuse or with a potentially abusive situation. The person I am today came out of all that work that Day One has been doing with me.
People see domestic violence as punches, but they don’t know it comes as financial abuse, emotional abuse, and immigration status abuse as well. And the more we talk, the more we can tackle those issues. Sometimes people don’t even know they’re going through abuse. So it’s really important to bring awareness, and I like that Day One does that.
I believe that every person that Day One has affected, their lives have changed, so they are also going to take this path of healing their own communities. So it’s like a network, and the more we can expand it, the more we can reach out to everyone in need.
Nicole has shared her story with Day One multiple times. You can watch a video of her talking about her experience here or read her blog post.
