Rebekah
Supporting sexual assault survivors
My name is Rebekah Cheung, I’m from Cornwall in England, and I’m in my final year for Business and Management.
My ambition is to support sexual assault survivors.
I was sexually assaulted over three years ago, and ever since then, I have wanted to put something in place that would’ve helped me when I was in that initial position.
The aftermath of sexual assault can be incredibly lonely, which is made even harder by trying to juggle university, exams, assignments, jobs etc. With this in mind, I’d like to create a safe space on campuses for those who have experienced sexual assault, to talk and help others in similar positions.
From experience, even if you are able to see a counsellor, the lack of lived experience makes it very difficult to open up to them, whereas talking to someone in a similar situation can be incredibly powerful.
I currently run a peer-to-peer network which is a safe space online called 'Not Victims, But Survivors' where people from all over the world can share their stories. I hope to transport that onto the university campus, where anyone, of any gender, can feel like they are seen and understood.
Why Glasgow?
My mum was originally from Glasgow, so I’ve been coming here for holidays since I was a baby. I remember one year we came up and took a walk around the University of Glasgow grounds, and I fell in love. From then on, I became adamant that UofG was the university for me.
Why Business Management?
Business was always my favourite subject at school and coming to UofG and studying it made me love it even more. I really want to work in the third sector when I leave university, and I’ve found that the different elements I’ve learnt from my course apply to the majority of charities.
Rebekah is one of the University of Glasgow’s Future World Changers: students with ambitions to improve lives across the globe. Follow their journeys using #UofGFWC.
