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KIMBLER B.S. Human Resources Management 16 Toshia The teen years are generally times filled with challenges and most of us experience our fair share of heartbreaks and upsets. But for one Franklin student adolescence brought unspeakable pain. Yet hers is a story of not simply survival but of triumph. STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Toshia grew up in the Columbus suburb of Westerville. Like all young people she experienced the normal feelings associated with growing into adulthood and like many also found herself in a troubled situation at home. In her desire to get away from that negative environment she fled to a local couple she believed cared for her and wanted to help. She soon found that her trust had been misplaced. Shortly after moving in the couple exposed Toshia to the world of human trafficking. For the next several years Toshia remained a psychological prisoner of the very people she had hoped would protect her. It wasnt until her senior year of high school that she found the courage to break free. She sought solace and help from her grandmother. I wish I could have reached out to someone in high school or that someone could have noticed the signs Toshia recalls. My grades dropped and no one questioned how I had money beyond what my fast food job would provide. Today Toshia devotes much of her spare time to helping others recognize those red flags. She partners with Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution S.O.A.P a volunteer group started by fellow human-trafficking survivor Theresa Flores. Toshia was first introduced to the organization after meeting Flores and reading her book The Slave Across the Street. S.O.A.P. volunteers offer a way out to missing and runaway children who are victimized in the sex trade. The help comes in simple packaging a bar of soap labeled with the National Human Trafficking hotline. Volunteers distribute thousands of soap bars to local hotels during major sporting events and conventions when the demand for human- trafficking is heightened. Volunteers also help educate hotel personnel on the warning signs that a young person could be a victim of trafficking. And its making a difference. Toshia estimates that with every outreach S.O.A.P. makes one or two missing children are identified and that information is shared with the authorities to enact a rescue. While having recently moved to Arizona Toshia keeps close contact with other activists and colleagues in Ohio and the troubles faced back home. She cites a January 2016 article in The Columbus Dispatch quoting Gov. John Kasich describing the magnitude of the problem. In the article the states chief executive explains that more than 1100 children a year are being exploited in Ohio. The average victim is a mere 13 years of age. Even as a survivor Toshia reflects this is hard for me to comprehend. Its because of statistics like this that Toshia is continuing her work in her new community. In addition to participating in S.O.A.P.s national outreach program she has recently become a mentor to other survivors in the Tempe area and is eager to share her Franklin experience with them. When I graduate in May I want to show other survivors that there is life beyond being a victim of human trafficking. That you can heal move forward go to school get a degree and have a good life. And you can make a difference in the lives of others. 11.A magazine for alumni and friends of Franklin University