This happened last year around August and continued until December. I remember meeting this guy at my college, it was a military college as I was trying to get into West Point and was in the service academy prep program. He seemed really nice at first and I was happy he wanted to be friends. I was first told by my Captain that he liked me. I didn’t seem to understand and texted my Lieutenant, the one that liked me and was in charge of my company, and asked him if it was true. He told me to ignore him and that none of what my Captain was saying was true. Eventually, he started talking to me in person. He probably assumed I was a timid and weak girl because I was a very reserved person more than half of the time. Then he asked me to have lunch with him and my Captain. I told him I would be inviting my best friend because I was not too comfortable with the idea of being alone with two other men. It was a decent time and told him we could hang out again. This is where it got worse. He started talking to me much more and even came to my room looking for me all the time. When he would see me, he would ask me to come over to his room so we could “hang out.” I was terrified because I never felt comfortable hanging out with a guy by myself but I was too afraid to say no. When we hung out, he would make sexual advances toward me and grope me and touch me inappropriately. He would push me on top of his bed and hold me there so I couldn’t move. He even kissed me multiple times without my permission and fondled me. I never gave him consent. He touched me through my clothes and would hold me against the wall to where I was unable to move and would continue assaulting me and harassing me to where I wanted to cry. Eventually around late November, I had enough of what he was doing to me. I stopped communicating with him and he freaked. He kept coming by my room, would try hugging me, try talking to me when I ignored him, followed me out of class and I told him to leave me alone and to stop. He never did. He kept pursuing me and all I could do was hide. I hid in my room more often, didn’t go to eat and would eat in my room because I was terrified. He even came outside of my barracks and tried getting me to come down because I cut off all contact with him. It was a horrible experience. People would look at me and I’m sure they thought some horrible words about me but I knew what truly happened. I was afraid for a long time to say anything but I am a victim of sexual assault and harassment. I could have been raped if I didn’t end it where I did. Even when I never gave him consent, he still would have done what he wanted to do.
— Alexandra, age 19
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