Walkup's Way Home Lindsey Beck:  Award-winning student
Lindsey Beck brought the spotlight to Three Rivers' First Year experience program  and also brought awareness to the topic of domestic abuse in her award-winning essay, "Writing Was My Release."

Lindsey wrote her essay in response to the Skip Downing's essay contest. This contest was looking for essays that described personal transformations that occurred as a result of reading On Course. Winning essays will be published in Downing's  textbook, On Course, in February 2007.

On Course  has been the text used at Three Rivers for First Year Experience  (FYE) classes. Among the goals of FYE are academic, personal, and professional growth.  These are achieved via self-inventories, interactive classroom exercises, lectures, reading On Course, and writing  guided journal entries based on the On Course textbook.

Norwich Bulletin education writer, Daniel Axelrod , covered Lindsey's two-pronged success: as an essay winner and as an advocate for moving out of domestic abuse situations. Axelrod's 9/26/06 article entitled, "Young woman says abuse can be overcome"  was picked up by the Associated Press and provided Lindsey with nationwide coverage.

Lindsey, addressing a FYE class, speaking on domestic abuse

*_Highlights_of_domestic_abuse_presentation:

*_Award-Winning_Essay,_Writing_Was_My_Release

* Link to Bridges Article about Lindsey

* Convocation_Award_Speech_9/11/07

* Photo of Lindsey & Dr Downing  at 2007 On Course Conference

Within days of appearing in the paper, Lindsey has been contact by the local Woman's Center and asked to speak on domestic abuse.  Lindsey feels part of her life's mission is speaking on domestic abuse and empowering victims to stand up for themselves.  Lindsey will also be speaking at the March 2007 National On Course Conference in Texas.

Her passion for bringing awareness to victims of abuse is highlighted in the closing lines of the Norwich Bulletin article: "It's only my story and there are a lot of other stories out there," Beck said. "But I wanted to share it -- for women who are in abusive relationships, who have left them or who might be in them -- so women know to get out of them no matter how lonely they feel."

Lindsey has spoken to FYE classes at Three Rivers Community College on domestic abuse.
Below are highlights of a presentation she gave in Louise Walkup's class.

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Award-Winning Essay, "Writing Was My Release"
 

 

When I started college, I had been in an abusive relationship for almost three years. I was terrified to leave this man (I'll call him Henry) because we have a child together and he had convinced me that I had no worth as a human being without him.

At 6 foot 4, Henry is a foot taller and weighs twice as much as I do. He would punch or kick me until I was in so much pain I couldn't go to my classes. When I did go, I'd often leave early, because he became convinced I was cheating on him and I didn't want to give him another reason to beat me.

I have a fair amount of academic ability and I did well in high school, but I started allowing my emotions to overrun my intelligence. It was like I had a bunch of emotions in a bowl and I'd just pull one out at random when something happened. One day when my mother expressed concern about my bruises, I got furious at her.

But instead of getting angry at Henry for beating me, I'd feel afraid, confused and depressed. Rather than stepping back and thinking logically about what was going on, I allowed my emotions to control me.

Studying became my escape. In my freshman year experience course, I loved expressing myself in my journals. In Chapter 8, I started writing about my emotions and, for the first time in years, I wasn't ashamed of my feelings. I decided to be totally honest, and I wrote down exactly what was going on and how I really felt about it (not how Henry told me I felt about it).

Writing the journals really made me look at myself and ask, What am I doing in this relationship? When I read about all of the positive ways I could manage my emotions, I started looking at things as though I wasn't going to take it any more. I got stronger every day, and then one day I made the decision to leave Henry.

I've always done well at writing papers, studying and taking tests, but I've never really taken responsibility for my emotions before. I learned that I need to get my emotional life under control if I want the rest of my life to work. I now realize that how I feel at one moment isn't necessarily how I'll feel 10 minutes later. Emotions change. Why let something control you that is so temporary? By growing emotionally, I'm able to control my emotions instead of letting them control me.

I am finally starting to picture a positive life for myself without Henry, and I am growing more confident everyday. My dream is to earn a degree in microbiology and make a difference by working for the World Health Organization. Enrolling in this course is the best life decision I will probably ever make. If I hadn't, 10 years from now, I may not have wanted to change my life. However, I have been able to do that, and now I have my whole life ahead of me.                         (To be published in On Course - February 2007)

 
 		  
Highlights of domestic abuse presentation
  • The process involved in abusive relationships
    • Intimidation and threats
    • Verbal abuse
    • Isolation
    • Minimizing, Denying & Blaming
    • Kids (threaten to take away & threaten harm)
    • Sexism, Male Privilege
    • Financial Control, Economic Abuse
    • Sexual Coercion
  • Signs that one is abusive
    • Shows possessiveness
    • Drug or alcohol use
    • A history of bad relationships
    • Controlling
  • Signs that a friend may be abused
    • Unexplained bruises or marks
    • Withdrawal
    • Low self-esteem
    • Having to leave events early
  • What to do if you are in such a relationship
    • Counseling
    • Therapy
  • If you leave
    • Immediately seek a restraining order
    • Call a woman's center if you need help or protection
    • Let your friends and family know what is going on
    • Change your schedule or travel routes
 

Reach Daniel Axelrod at 425-4221 or daxelrod@norwich bulletin.com
 Article title:  "Young woman says abuse can be overcome" published 9/23/06
 

 NY Newsday, The Hartford Courant, The Stamford Advocate and the Boston Globe all used the Beck story. which Daniel Axelrod had penned.

 

  

Convocation Award Speech 9/11/07

 It is indeed a pleasure, privilege and honor for me to present this book award to Lindsey Beck, but before doing so, I’d like to share with you the reasons Lindsey was selected as the recipient.

 Lindsey is the embodiment of MAKING CONNECTIONS.

When she was a student in my First Year Experience Course, Houghton Mifflin  sponsored an essay contest wherein the writer would describe the transformational effect the book On Course had on one’s life.    

Lindsey’s essay was selected to be published in On Course.

Last fall  the  Norwich Bulletin featured Lindsey’s success on its front page and  included a photo of Lindsey with her beautiful son, Kevin.  A few days later, the Associated Press ran the same article in its print and online papers. 

After the newspaper coverage, Lindsey found herself speaking publicly on domestic abuse issues 

In March 07 , at the On Course Conference in Dallas, Texas, Lindsey  addressed an international audience of hundreds of educators and business and government professionals. She described how taking a student success course changed her life.

Around this time,  McGraw Hill was seeking an inspirational role model  to feature in Feldman’s text, Power Learning. Lindsey was selected. . Her story, her photo and our TRCC logo will be published in that text in December.

In closing, Lindsey sought to raise awareness of domestic abuse. She has communicated to a vast audience via newspaper coverage, public presentations, and publication in two texts. She has given a voice to the voiceless, a beacon of hope to the disheartened, and a clear pathway to those walking down a road littered with stumbling blocks; these very blocks have caused many  to trip and fall.  Lindsey has shown that by learning from these stumbling blocks, we create stepping stones to success.  This paradigm allows us to accept our cross of responsibility and transform it into a crown of success and service to others.

We thank you Lindsey for making a difference, and we applaud you.

                                                                                                                                   Louise N. Walkup

 

 		  
   
   

 

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