June 16, 2025 • 28 mins
What happens when childhood trauma meets unwavering resilience? Katherine (Kat) Omo-Osagie's story answers this question with extraordinary power and grace.
At just six years old, Kat witnessed unimaginable violence when her father shot her mother multiple times before taking his own life. Today, she stands tall as Miss Lewisville, a contestant in the 2025 Miss Texas pageant, a college scholar on a presidential scholarship, and a passionate mentor to young children finding their own paths.
Kat takes us through her remarkable journey of healing - from the frightened child who lost her confidence in elementary school, to the middle schooler who was bullied when classmates discovered her family's experience through online searches, to the high achiever who still struggled with feeling "good enough" despite external success. With remarkable self-awareness, she articulates how trauma manifests differently throughout various life stages, creating new challenges even as she builds strength.
The turning point came through pageantry, something Kat never imagined herself doing. Winning Miss Texas Teen in 2021 with her platform "Break the Cycle of Abuse" transformed the very story she once hid from into her greatest strength. "It was a really cool full circle moment to have this story of my family that was something I used to hide from...and then suddenly bring light to it and then have all this success because of it."
Kat's philosophy, inherited from her resilient mother Stephanie Bond, that "adversity breeds success if you let it," shines through every aspect of her life. Her commitment to mentorship through Big Brothers Big Sisters reflects her desire to be for others what she needed as a child.
This conversation isn't just about surviving domestic violence—it's about transforming pain into purpose and using your story to create ripples of positive change. As Kat eloquently puts it: "I never want to waste such a horrible thing that happened. If there can be good done with it..." Her journey reminds us that our deepest wounds can become our greatest gifts to the world.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catherine Omo-Osagi witnessed the tragedy of
domestic violence as a veryyoung child.
Today, she is the reigning MissLouisville, a contestant in the
2025 Miss Texas pageant.
A competitive athlete, collegestudent and a mentor to young
children, she joins the show todiscuss building resilience and
supporting others to be theirbest.
I'm Maria McMullin, and this isGenesis, the podcast.
(00:23):
I'm Maria McMullin and this isGenesis the podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Kat, welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so happy to be with you.
I feel like I've known you forso long just through knowing
your mom, Stephanie Bond.
She's the best she really is.
She has talked so much to us atGenesis about you and your
brothers and your entire family.
(00:50):
Listeners don't know aboutstephanie or who she is.
Stephanie bond is a member ofour alliance auxiliary at
genesis women's shelter andsupport.
She's a donor, a volunteer.
She's an incredible human beingand she's also a survivor of
domestic violence who shared herstory with us recently on
Genesis the podcast.
(01:10):
You can go back in our podcastlibrary and find Stephanie Bond
story.
But today we have the nextgeneration and I'm really
excited, Kat, for you to be hereand talk about your journey.
You and your mom are superclose, Very yes, and talk about
your journey.
You and your mom are superclose, Very yes, and you
mentioned to me that your momalways told you that adversity
(01:31):
breeds success.
How has that played out in yourlife?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Well, I think when you go through such a monumental
event at such a young age I wassix years old when my father
passed my mom didn't really havethe opportunity to not be
successful and not find a way tokeep going.
She had four kids between theages of 16 and six, and so there
was no option of not making itwork.
(01:55):
And so I think, watching herfight through all of her
different adversities of course,the bigger ones, and then the
adversities on a day to day, youknow, getting yourself up in
the morning when you don'treally want to go to work, doing
all the little things to makesure that you're overcoming
every little adversity it led toher success, and I think
watching that growing up, thatwas my role model.
There was no opportunity to notbe successful, because she made
(02:19):
sure that we were in place.
Regardless of what we weregoing through, we were going to
be successful, and so it alwaysstuck with me that it doesn't
matter how big or small,whatever you're going through is
adversity is going to breedsuccess, if you let it.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I think that's a wonderful philosophy and way of
kind of looking at your life andthe future, because we all
experience some forms ofadversity.
No one really escapes it.
In a way, it's a strangeparallel, but you know it's
non-discriminatory, just likedomestic violence is
non-discriminatory, right, andyou certainly have a lot of
success coming your way with allthe things you're doing, and
(02:56):
we're going to talk about thatas well.
Since you mentioned it, yourearly life was shaped somewhat
by the experiences of yourfather's mental illness and
domestic violence.
Kat, what happened to yourfamily during that time?
Speaker 3 (03:09):
So it starts before I was even born and I've always
liked to kind of start at thevery beginning of my parents'
story.
Now, my parents met on thecampus of the University of
Illinois.
My mom had just gotten there,my dad had been there for a
while and he was an immigrantfrom Nigeria and when they first
met my dad was the smartest inthe room, the funniest guy.
(03:31):
Everyone wanted to be aroundhim, he was friends with
everybody, he was known oncampus and he was kind of like
that guy that you kind of thinkof on a college campus and so my
mom kind of fell for that andthey started the sample together
and my dad, from what I'vealways been told, was incredible
.
Like I said, he was so smart,it was so funny, he was an
(03:55):
incredible person.
By the time I had come along,like I said, my dad was on that
level of almost being a geniusand I think a lot of times when
you come with that much, youknow natural intelligence,
sometimes there's that issue ofmental health that's paired with
that and then in his case thatmental health was not cared for
in the proper way.
So by the time I was born thatmental health had kind of taken
over for him, and so I never gotthe opportunity to know my dad
(04:18):
in the way that my mom alwaysimagined her husband being a
father to her future daughter.
So with that growing up, Iremember a lot of fighting.
I remember a lot of thesedifferent events that kind of
took place that were a norm forme.
You know just the differentyelling, the sense of fear that
kind of clouded our home.
Yeah, and that was that was allI really knew.
(04:40):
We also were a prettysuccessful family in our
hometown.
We had a lot of ownership ofapartment buildings on the
campus of the University ofIllinois and at one point my
family was the largest landlordsof the University of Illinois,
and so we had the houses and wehad the cars and we had this
grand life and we would comehome every day to our grand home
and no one knew that behindclosed doors there were these
(05:03):
fights that were happening,there was these yelling matches
that were happening and at onepoint it started to get physical
and it started to get a lotmore violent.
That was about the last sixmonths of my father's life when
it did start to get violent, andtowards that time I remember
just being so afraid and therewas a sense of something's going
to happen that you don't knowwhat it is, but you're afraid of
(05:24):
what it might be.
And on a random Saturday inFebruary of 2010, my father got
home, my mom got home and I waswith her and we walked into the
house.
My dad took her and said youknow, I need to talk to you.
My mom thought he was going totalk to her about getting a
divorce because she had beenpushing for that.
And they take, they go back tothe back bedroom of the house
(05:45):
and the master suite, and acouple of minutes pass and I
hear this deafening shriek thatI will never forget and my mom
and I are very close.
So I knew something was wrongand the first thing I wanted to
do was get to her, and so I ranback into the bedroom, didn't
see her, turned a corner, stilldidn't see her, and I went to
the back closet, which was awalk-in closet at the very
(06:05):
farthest end of our house, and Ifound my dad, who had taken his
life, and I saw my mom.
I looked down at her and shesaid don't look, call 911.
And she was face down and itlooked like she was trying to
crawl away.
And now, looking back, what Iknow is my dad had shot my mom
three times, almost killing herbefore turning the gun on
himself, and that obviouslyshaped my entire childhood.
(06:29):
Now my mom, she made a fullrecovery, and one of the things
I think is so cool about my momis she is a go getter and she is
not going to let anything standin her way, and she wanted to
make sure that she could doanything she could to set her
kids up for success and be astory of success, and so she
never really let this storycontrol her.
(06:51):
She really took power of it,and that's what inspired me to
now be able to share the samestory from a different
perspective.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Amazing.
I'm familiar with Stephanie'sstory and I think it's really
interesting to hear you retellthe story as well, because there
was a lot to it.
It wasn't just a moment or aone single act of violence or
gun violence.
It was a pattern that builds upover time.
Do your brothers recall yourdad being more like what your
(07:22):
mom describes him as when theyfirst met?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yes, and again, my oldest brother is 10 years older
than me and I've got anotherone who's eight years older and
then three years older, and itis really interesting because
all of us have such a differentchildhood and we all have these
different memories and we allhave different experiences.
My oldest two brothers, ofcourse, they really got that
good side of my dad and they gotall of these great
(07:46):
opportunities and all thesegreat memories with him and me
and my brother, who is theyoungest of the three.
We had good memories of my dad,but not near as many as my
older brothers, and so that'salways created such an
interesting kind of topic ofconversation for us.
Um, I know myself I've alwaysreached out to my brothers and
wanted to learn more about whatmy dad was like when he was that
(08:09):
good person, because I thinkwhat's also so interesting about
having a situation like this atsuch a young age is I know that
at one point, my dad was thisgreat person and it's really an
interesting dynamic of somethingchanged and I don't remember
him as that great person and so,even though he was this great
(08:29):
person, there was this horribleact that happened and there were
these horrible things that tookplace, and it wasn't just the
shooting, it was months beforethat.
It was the financial abuse, itwas the verbal abuse, it was the
not being present.
For me and my siblings it wasthe things like that, and so
that dynamic has always beensomething really interesting
between my brothers and I.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, that is very astute for you to say that the
four of you all had differentchildhoods so interesting.
Now you've told your story many, many times and I'm very
honored to hear it from you andI thank you for sharing it with
us.
It is very inspirational tohear how you and your family
moved forward.
What do you hope people willtake away from learning about
this experience and about theimpact of domestic violence?
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Well, I think one of the things that's always
motivated me, especially inprobably the last about five
years, four or five years is thefact that this is something
that doesn't discriminate.
You know, you can look atanybody and they might have
something that they've nevertold anyone.
So what I started to notice,particularly in high school, is
the more I opened up about thisstory, the more I told people
(09:41):
about what happened in my family, the more somebody felt
comfortable saying, well, x, yand Z has happened in my house.
Is that not normal?
And so that's been reallyinspiring, because you don't
know what you don't know.
If you've been raised for 15,16, 17 years with the same
patterns and the same things,you're not going to know any
different, and then that's apattern that's going to continue
(10:03):
on for future generations notgoing to know any different, and
then that's a pattern that'sgoing to continue on for future
generations.
And so it's been so importantto me to take what's happened in
my family and go out and shareit, because I think there's
something that's been verypowerful.
One of my favorite things I'veever done was actually a Genesis
event that my mom and I got todo together.
She was asked to speak and shethought it would be cool if I
came along and shared myperspective as well.
(10:24):
And so we talked to about 100women who are involved in
Genesis and they would ask aquestion and she would give her
perspective and I would givemine.
And one of the most impactfulthings, I think, was you hear
about the survivor and you hearfrom their perspective, but
sometimes it's forgotten how theother people in the survivor's
(10:45):
life are impacted.
Now, I was not domesticallyabused.
I did not have any of thatabuse that my mom, for example,
had.
But there are still lastingimplications of watching
everything and I think when youput yourself in the perspective
of a six-year-old little girlwho's just coming home from
school, then it really kind ofadds an even deeper level of we
(11:07):
got to do something about thisand this has got to be stopped.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Yeah, absolutely.
That is so impactful.
Just to hear you talk about itin that way it's interesting,
you know, to take the backwardglance and go back and look at
what happened and really havemore of an adult context for
something that happened to youas a child.
And you also mentioned how whatbecomes normal to you living in
an abusive household or with anabusive relationship just
(11:32):
becomes your standard.
And to take it one step further, for lots of people they just
believe everyone lives like thatwhen they're children because
they don't have any other pointof reference for what it should
be like to be in a parent-childrelationship or in a family.
Dynamic home is where they findout what relationships are all
about and what they're supposedto look like.
(11:53):
And so you can go you know 10to 15 years as a kid and believe
that everybody's living thisway at home and this is what's
normal, that you know dad hitsmom, mom and dad argue dad hits
me, and until you realize that,no, this is not okay.
And that's why we do this showand why we do teen dating
violence education and domesticviolence education for students
(12:17):
and youth, so that they canreally understand what a healthy
relationship looks like andgive them tools to not only
learn about it but also to reachout to people if they need to
discuss what's happening intheir home or with an intimate
partner.
Now you are a college student,a pageant winner and so much
more.
Is there a point where you cansay you've made it and you no
(12:41):
longer feel the impact of thatdomestic violence?
Or is this more of a journeyfor you?
Speaker 3 (12:46):
I definitely think it's a journey and something
that I've always found almostinteresting.
I've always taken my life andbeen very analytical, very
analytical person, and it seemsevery stage of my life I unlock
a new challenge.
That can be traced back to mychildhood and that's been very
interesting, sometimes difficultbut interesting to navigate.
(13:08):
In the aspect I go back to whenwe first moved to Texas.
So the shooting happened when Iwas six.
We moved to Texas when I waseight.
I go back there and I thinkabout the struggles that I had
when I started to lose that selfconfidence.
You know, I was a very happykid, I was always a go getter, I
was a gymnast, I love to talkto people, I love to be around
people.
About fourth or fifth grade,completely shut down.
(13:31):
I stopped making friends.
I didn't even know how toanymore.
I lost all sense of confidenceand so that kind of started in
elementary school and then I gotto middle school, and middle
school it was horrible.
I went to a school where it wasa very some would say
privileged middle school, and soI was only one of a few black
(13:53):
kids and along with that, my momwas one of the only moms who
worked in my middle school.
It was a middle school with athousand kids too.
There were a ton of peoplethere, and another thing that I
began having to navigate is wehad these school laptops and it
became kind of you know, fun topass the time to Google each
other.
Well, when you Google CatherineOma Asagi, for a long time the
first thing that would show upwas a news article about the
(14:16):
shooting that happened, and Ihadn't talked about that at my
middle school.
Nobody knew about that.
I did not have the confidenceto start talking about it at
that point in my life, and whenpeople started finding out about
that, it became an easy targetfor them to make fun of me and
really kind of attack me.
And I look back and it justbreaks my heart that 12, 13 year
(14:37):
olds are attacking such ahorrible thing.
That happened, and so you know.
Of course, that affected myconfidence a lot, and so that
was really one of those timeswhere I felt super different
than my peers.
I did not even know how torelate to them.
I really did not talk.
I have friends now who I wentto middle school with and they
(14:59):
ask where I went to middleschool because they don't
remember me being there becauseI was so much of a shell of
myself that I did not have theconfidence to even speak to them
and now they're some of my bestfriends that I did not have the
confidence to even speak tothem and now they're some of my
best friends.
And so I look back at middleschool and that was one of those
things that you can trace backto, of course, my childhood,
High school.
(15:19):
It definitely turned around alot, but it was also still a
very interesting dynamic becauseit was a whole new set of
issues that had unlocked.
Now, at this point, I'd built alot more of my confidence.
I had a great set of issuesthat hadn't locked.
Now, at this point, I'd built alot more of my confidence.
I had a great set of friendsand I'd finally started to open
up about, you know, my familyand what happened, and it was
cool because I started seeingthat I could help people with
that.
But at the same time, you knowyou're in high school I've had
(15:42):
all these accomplishments.
I was cheer captain, I was MissTexas T and I was top of my
class in grades.
I was graduating high schoolwith an associates of science
degree.
But I was always chasingsomething.
And there's a saying, you know,being good isn't ever good
enough, and that's how I alwaysfelt.
And it was like I can do all ofthese things, I can get the
(16:04):
scholarships, I can do all thethings, but for some reason I
was never satisfied and I neverfelt like I was good enough for
the people around me.
And nobody made me seem likethat.
My family is the mostsupportive people in the world,
they would do anything for me,yeah, but it really was kind of
looking back at when I was youngand you know I am not in my
(16:26):
head I was not good enough tohave all of this praise and I
needed to keep searching, keepfighting to do something that's
going to make it worth it.
But there was nothing I couldhave done.
And so college, of course, youknow a whole, nother set of
issues.
You know, the first time I'mcompletely independent.
I grew up very independently,just with everything that my
(16:47):
family had been through, butit's a whole different level of
independence.
I was so homesick, oh mygoodness, I was so homesick for
so long, and it was a lot ofthat still chasing those
different validation things, butat the same time, I couldn't
get that validation because Iwasn't home.
So my core system, what I wasused to getting that validation
(17:09):
from, I wasn't around them everyday, and so I definitely fell
into a really kind of dark placeof trying to figure out what my
path is, what my purpose is,what I'm supposed to be doing,
and I was definitely at a reallylow, low point my freshman and
sophomore year and it took me awhile to get out of that.
And now that I'm on the otherside of it, it's really
(17:32):
interesting to see how, you know, you hit rock bottom and you
hit a low and that can almostpropel you into a place of being
at the best version of yourself.
Yeah, so, with all of that, Ithink it definitely is a journey
and I think when I, you know,am in a serious relationship,
I'm going to have more problems.
When I'm a mother one day, I'mgoing to have other issues, and
(17:55):
just being aware of that isdefinitely something that I know
I'll have to work towards, butit doesn't scare me the way that
it used to Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
You're so enlightened and self aware and I admire
that about you, especially forsuch a young woman who's
experienced so much.
And I know your family has alot to do with your sense of
self and your well-being, andyou're very close, especially
with your mom, stephanie Bond,and I think she might be your
biggest fan.
I'm pretty sure that she is thebiggest fan.
(18:23):
How have these relationshipshelped to heal the past and
build resiliency?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
in your life.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
I think how close my family and I are is something I
will never take for granted, andit is the coolest thing for my
brothers and my mom to besupportive of everything I do
and to see how they've shaped meinto the person I am today.
A lot of my friends at schoolthey think my family is the
funniest family in the world.
(18:50):
We've got our family group chatand there is always something
hilarious said, and so I'll takea screenshot and send it to
some of my best friends andthey're like you guys are unreal
, like it's so fun to have thoseclose connections, but it's
cool too, especially now thatI'm so grounded and I feel so
much better about just my senseof self.
I'm in a place where my goal isalways and has always been to
(19:15):
make my family proud and to doright by them.
I remember being four years old,five years old and my mom you
know I feel like every mom saysto their little girl like please
never grow up.
And I would say to my mom it'sokay, I'm going to grow up and
I'm going to buy you a beachhouse, and that rule hasn't
changed.
I still intend on buying her abeach house, and so it is really
(19:37):
A blessing to have people who Ilook up to so much, who
motivate me so much.
My brothers are all sodifferent.
There are three of the mostdifferent people you could ever
put in a room, but of course Ilike to tease them a little bit,
like, yeah, I have the bestversions of all three, but it's
really cool to be a combinationof three people who are so
(19:57):
different and I wouldn't changeit for the world.
They've raised me into who I amand I'm so grateful for all the
things that they've done beforeme so that I can follow in
their different footsteps,because they three took
different paths.
But it's, it is such a blessingto be so close to them.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Yeah, that's outstanding.
Now, another thing that'sreally important to you and
central to your your life isyour work within the pageant
system.
How long have you been doingthat and how has it supported
both your goals and yourself-confidence?
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Well, it was really funny.
I have been involved with MissTexas since 2021.
Now for background context.
I never grew up in pageants.
I had always wanted to do apageant.
I remember watching MissAmerica with my mom and my.
I remember watching MissAmerica with my mom, and my
grandma competed in the MissAmerica organization when she
was younger Wow, and I thoughtit was so incredible these
(20:51):
beautiful women who articulateand talented and incredible and
I always thought to myself I cannever do that.
That is not something I can do.
I am not that articulate, I amnot that talented, I do not have
much grace and poise.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Yeah, we all tell ourselves that which nothing.
Looking at you I mean talkingto you it could be.
Nothing could be further fromthe truth that is so kind.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
There was a show called Kim of Queens that was
all about this woman who was apageant coach and she was just
the coolest.
My mom and I would sit andwatch this show all the time and
I was probably nine or 10 yearsold at that point and I
remember asking her if she'dever let me do a pageant and she
said well, we don't have themoney for a dress right now for
the registration, but whenyou're older, if you still want
to do it, you know we'llconsider.
(21:33):
Fast forward, it's COVID.
I quit gymnastics.
I've been it for 12 years andthat was absolutely massive
because it was such a big partof my life.
I quit that and I missedcompeting.
And there was a girl I went tohigh school with who always
competed in Miss Texas and shesaid you know, kat, I know you
like to compete.
You should give this a try.
And I looked at her like shehad three heads.
(21:55):
I was like you're crazy, I'mnot going to do that.
I don't know how to do mymakeup.
I don't own more than two pairof heels, I'm not doing that.
And she was like just considerit, we'll talk about it, just
consider it.
So I went home and I went to mymom and I said, you know,
somebody said I should thinkabout doing a pageant and she
was like, okay, you know anotherthing I love about my mom,
she's so supportive in any ofour endeavors she was like, yeah
(22:19):
, that's fine.
She's thinking you just have tobuy a couple dresses and you
know, register and that'll be it.
Absolutely not Miss America, itis.
You know, there's paperwork,there's registration, there's
scholarship applications, allthese different things.
And so February is when Idecided to compete.
I actually bought my Miss Texasteen gown the day that was the
(22:46):
anniversary of my dad's deathand of the shooting and that's
usually such a hard day for myentire family and, looking back,
it is kind of a beautiful thingto now have that memory
attached to it.
And then, a couple months later, was Miss Texas, miss Texas
teen.
I did not expect to win, I didnot expect to make the top five.
I thought I'd go in there andget a new experience and a
couple friends and somescholarship dollars.
(23:07):
And then I ended up winningthis Texas Outstanding Team 2021
.
And then went on to place secondrunner up to Miss America's
team that following summer Wow,and it was life changing,
completely changed the course ofmy life and gave me confidence
that I'd never had, particularlybecause my platform was break
(23:27):
the cycle of abuse.
And it was a really cool fullcircle moment to have this story
of my family and it wassomething I used to hide from
and I wanted no one to know andthen suddenly bring light to it
and then have all the successbecause of the story that I used
to hide from.
Yeah, and that was also, ofcourse, monumental because that
(23:49):
showed me there is a differencethat can be made with it and it
it speaks to people and ittouches people, and so that was
huge and my pageant journey nowpast that.
I had the title for a year andit was such a blessing.
I got to travel across Texasand share my family's story,
talk to different people, dodifferent options of volunteer
work, and then after that I wentto college.
(24:11):
I also earned a fullpresidential scholarship to the
University of Alabama, which I'mat now.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Thank you, thank you, never looked at Alabama, got
the scholarship and then fell inlove with it, and so it's been
so incredible here.
And then I didn't think I wouldever compete in pageants again,
just because I was like, youknow, I did that and it was
incredible, but I don't know ifI'm going to come back to it.
And then a couple months ago,once again in February, I kind
(24:44):
of got the itch and I was like,wow, you know, I don't think
that I really did everythingthat I could do with my platform
and with this story, and MissTexas is unique because it
really propels you to have aplatform that you wouldn't have
had without.
And so every time that I havethe opportunity to share this
story, to share my family'sstory, I know it's going to
touch at least one person and Idon't ever want to take
(25:06):
advantage of that and I neverwant to waste such a horrible
thing that happened.
If there can be good, that'sdone with it.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Yeah, that's amazing.
So you are also Miss Louisvilleright.
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
So I'm the current Miss Louisville and I'm getting
ready to compete for the titleof Miss Texas here at the end of
June.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
So excited for you.
You are amazing and I wanted toask you about some of the other
types of volunteer work you do.
I know that you work, or youhave worked, as a mentor to
young children.
Tell us about what you do there.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Absolutely so.
This was a big thing I did inhigh school.
I had a good handful of peoplethat I mentored and I was in a
class where we actually got togo to these neighboring
elementary and middle schoolsand be mentors to some of the
kids who might not have the mostideal family life, and that was
something that was such apassion of mine because I didn't
get that when I was inelementary school and if I would
(25:59):
have had that, I think it wouldhave changed so much about my
confidence and all of thesedifferent things.
So having that in high schoolwas huge for me.
Now at school and in college,you know it can be a little bit
harder to find those differentopportunities, but they're there
if you look.
And I knew that this was such apassion of mine and I have the
(26:22):
time.
There is time for anything ifyou make it.
And one of my friends actuallyhe was involved with Big
Brothers, big Sisters of WestAlabama and so I had reached out
to him and I said how did youget involved with this?
And he got me in contact withthe people out here for Big
Brothers, big Sisters and now Iget to be a big to a sweet
little third grader.
(26:42):
She is the best, and it is socool to see so much of myself
and her and know that she'sgoing to be on the right path
and, if nothing else, she's gotsomeone that she can look up to.
You know we always talk aboutour curly hair and you know it's
a lot of fun to have that.
(27:03):
And she wears glasses, so I'llwear my glasses when I see her
and it's really cool to see theimpacts of just being present in
someone's life.
It's so rewarding and I wouldnot change it for the world, and
so just that mentorship aspectis probably one of, I think, the
biggest gifts that you can giveto another person, and it's
(27:25):
truly one of my passions.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Yeah, I can totally understand why it would be.
I'm so proud of you, I'm soproud to know you, and I
appreciate you sharing yourstory of not just being a
survivor.
This is more than that.
This is about resilience andliving the life that you want
for yourself, and you arecertainly doing.
Let's catch up again soon afterthe Miss Texas competition.
(27:47):
I definitely want to find outhow that all works out.
I hope you make it, I hope youwin it and I wish you all the
best.
Thank you for being here today.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Thank you so much I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Genesis Women's Shelter and Support exists to
give women in abusive situationsa way out.
We are committed to our missionof providing safety, shelter
and support for women andchildren who have experienced
domestic violence and to raiseawareness regarding its cause,
prevalence and impact.
Join us in creating a societalshift on how people think about
(28:18):
domestic violence.
You can learn more atGenesisShelterorg and when you
follow us on social media onFacebook and Instagram at
Genesis Women's Shelter, and onX at Genesis Shelter.
The Genesis Helpline isavailable 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, by call or text at214-946-HELP 214-946-4357.
Catherine Omo-Osagi witnessed the tragedy of
domestic violence as a veryyoung child.
Today, she is the reigning MissLouisville, a contestant in the
2025 Miss Texas pageant.
A competitive athlete, collegestudent and a mentor to young
children, she joins the show todiscuss building resilience and
supporting others to be theirbest.
I'm Maria McMullin, and this isGenesis, the podcast.
(00:23):
I'm Maria McMullin and this isGenesis the podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Kat, welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so happy to be with you.
I feel like I've known you forso long just through knowing
your mom, Stephanie Bond.
She's the best she really is.
She has talked so much to us atGenesis about you and your
brothers and your entire family.
(00:50):
Listeners don't know aboutstephanie or who she is.
Stephanie bond is a member ofour alliance auxiliary at
genesis women's shelter andsupport.
She's a donor, a volunteer.
She's an incredible human beingand she's also a survivor of
domestic violence who shared herstory with us recently on
Genesis the podcast.
(01:10):
You can go back in our podcastlibrary and find Stephanie Bond
story.
But today we have the nextgeneration and I'm really
excited, Kat, for you to be hereand talk about your journey.
You and your mom are superclose, Very yes, and talk about
your journey.
You and your mom are superclose, Very yes, and you
mentioned to me that your momalways told you that adversity
(01:31):
breeds success.
How has that played out in yourlife?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Well, I think when you go through such a monumental
event at such a young age I wassix years old when my father
passed my mom didn't really havethe opportunity to not be
successful and not find a way tokeep going.
She had four kids between theages of 16 and six, and so there
was no option of not making itwork.
(01:55):
And so I think, watching herfight through all of her
different adversities of course,the bigger ones, and then the
adversities on a day to day, youknow, getting yourself up in
the morning when you don'treally want to go to work, doing
all the little things to makesure that you're overcoming
every little adversity it led toher success, and I think
watching that growing up, thatwas my role model.
There was no opportunity to notbe successful, because she made
(02:19):
sure that we were in place.
Regardless of what we weregoing through, we were going to
be successful, and so it alwaysstuck with me that it doesn't
matter how big or small,whatever you're going through is
adversity is going to breedsuccess, if you let it.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I think that's a wonderful philosophy and way of
kind of looking at your life andthe future, because we all
experience some forms ofadversity.
No one really escapes it.
In a way, it's a strangeparallel, but you know it's
non-discriminatory, just likedomestic violence is
non-discriminatory, right, andyou certainly have a lot of
success coming your way with allthe things you're doing, and
(02:56):
we're going to talk about thatas well.
Since you mentioned it, yourearly life was shaped somewhat
by the experiences of yourfather's mental illness and
domestic violence.
Kat, what happened to yourfamily during that time?
Speaker 3 (03:09):
So it starts before I was even born and I've always
liked to kind of start at thevery beginning of my parents'
story.
Now, my parents met on thecampus of the University of
Illinois.
My mom had just gotten there,my dad had been there for a
while and he was an immigrantfrom Nigeria and when they first
met my dad was the smartest inthe room, the funniest guy.
(03:31):
Everyone wanted to be aroundhim, he was friends with
everybody, he was known oncampus and he was kind of like
that guy that you kind of thinkof on a college campus and so my
mom kind of fell for that andthey started the sample together
and my dad, from what I'vealways been told, was incredible
.
Like I said, he was so smart,it was so funny, he was an
(03:55):
incredible person.
By the time I had come along,like I said, my dad was on that
level of almost being a geniusand I think a lot of times when
you come with that much, youknow natural intelligence,
sometimes there's that issue ofmental health that's paired with
that and then in his case thatmental health was not cared for
in the proper way.
So by the time I was born thatmental health had kind of taken
over for him, and so I never gotthe opportunity to know my dad
(04:18):
in the way that my mom alwaysimagined her husband being a
father to her future daughter.
So with that growing up, Iremember a lot of fighting.
I remember a lot of thesedifferent events that kind of
took place that were a norm forme.
You know just the differentyelling, the sense of fear that
kind of clouded our home.
Yeah, and that was that was allI really knew.
(04:40):
We also were a prettysuccessful family in our
hometown.
We had a lot of ownership ofapartment buildings on the
campus of the University ofIllinois and at one point my
family was the largest landlordsof the University of Illinois,
and so we had the houses and wehad the cars and we had this
grand life and we would comehome every day to our grand home
and no one knew that behindclosed doors there were these
(05:03):
fights that were happening,there was these yelling matches
that were happening and at onepoint it started to get physical
and it started to get a lotmore violent.
That was about the last sixmonths of my father's life when
it did start to get violent, andtowards that time I remember
just being so afraid and therewas a sense of something's going
to happen that you don't knowwhat it is, but you're afraid of
(05:24):
what it might be.
And on a random Saturday inFebruary of 2010, my father got
home, my mom got home and I waswith her and we walked into the
house.
My dad took her and said youknow, I need to talk to you.
My mom thought he was going totalk to her about getting a
divorce because she had beenpushing for that.
And they take, they go back tothe back bedroom of the house
(05:45):
and the master suite, and acouple of minutes pass and I
hear this deafening shriek thatI will never forget and my mom
and I are very close.
So I knew something was wrongand the first thing I wanted to
do was get to her, and so I ranback into the bedroom, didn't
see her, turned a corner, stilldidn't see her, and I went to
the back closet, which was awalk-in closet at the very
(06:05):
farthest end of our house, and Ifound my dad, who had taken his
life, and I saw my mom.
I looked down at her and shesaid don't look, call 911.
And she was face down and itlooked like she was trying to
crawl away.
And now, looking back, what Iknow is my dad had shot my mom
three times, almost killing herbefore turning the gun on
himself, and that obviouslyshaped my entire childhood.
(06:29):
Now my mom, she made a fullrecovery, and one of the things
I think is so cool about my momis she is a go getter and she is
not going to let anything standin her way, and she wanted to
make sure that she could doanything she could to set her
kids up for success and be astory of success, and so she
never really let this storycontrol her.
(06:51):
She really took power of it,and that's what inspired me to
now be able to share the samestory from a different
perspective.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Amazing.
I'm familiar with Stephanie'sstory and I think it's really
interesting to hear you retellthe story as well, because there
was a lot to it.
It wasn't just a moment or aone single act of violence or
gun violence.
It was a pattern that builds upover time.
Do your brothers recall yourdad being more like what your
(07:22):
mom describes him as when theyfirst met?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yes, and again, my oldest brother is 10 years older
than me and I've got anotherone who's eight years older and
then three years older, and itis really interesting because
all of us have such a differentchildhood and we all have these
different memories and we allhave different experiences.
My oldest two brothers, ofcourse, they really got that
good side of my dad and they gotall of these great
(07:46):
opportunities and all thesegreat memories with him and me
and my brother, who is theyoungest of the three.
We had good memories of my dad,but not near as many as my
older brothers, and so that'salways created such an
interesting kind of topic ofconversation for us.
Um, I know myself I've alwaysreached out to my brothers and
wanted to learn more about whatmy dad was like when he was that
(08:09):
good person, because I thinkwhat's also so interesting about
having a situation like this atsuch a young age is I know that
at one point, my dad was thisgreat person and it's really an
interesting dynamic of somethingchanged and I don't remember
him as that great person and so,even though he was this great
(08:29):
person, there was this horribleact that happened and there were
these horrible things that tookplace, and it wasn't just the
shooting, it was months beforethat.
It was the financial abuse, itwas the verbal abuse, it was the
not being present.
For me and my siblings it wasthe things like that, and so
that dynamic has always beensomething really interesting
between my brothers and I.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, that is very astute for you to say that the
four of you all had differentchildhoods so interesting.
Now you've told your story many, many times and I'm very
honored to hear it from you andI thank you for sharing it with
us.
It is very inspirational tohear how you and your family
moved forward.
What do you hope people willtake away from learning about
this experience and about theimpact of domestic violence?
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Well, I think one of the things that's always
motivated me, especially inprobably the last about five
years, four or five years is thefact that this is something
that doesn't discriminate.
You know, you can look atanybody and they might have
something that they've nevertold anyone.
So what I started to notice,particularly in high school, is
the more I opened up about thisstory, the more I told people
(09:41):
about what happened in my family, the more somebody felt
comfortable saying, well, x, yand Z has happened in my house.
Is that not normal?
And so that's been reallyinspiring, because you don't
know what you don't know.
If you've been raised for 15,16, 17 years with the same
patterns and the same things,you're not going to know any
different, and then that's apattern that's going to continue
(10:03):
on for future generations notgoing to know any different, and
then that's a pattern that'sgoing to continue on for future
generations.
And so it's been so importantto me to take what's happened in
my family and go out and shareit, because I think there's
something that's been verypowerful.
One of my favorite things I'veever done was actually a Genesis
event that my mom and I got todo together.
She was asked to speak and shethought it would be cool if I
came along and shared myperspective as well.
(10:24):
And so we talked to about 100women who are involved in
Genesis and they would ask aquestion and she would give her
perspective and I would givemine.
And one of the most impactfulthings, I think, was you hear
about the survivor and you hearfrom their perspective, but
sometimes it's forgotten how theother people in the survivor's
(10:45):
life are impacted.
Now, I was not domesticallyabused.
I did not have any of thatabuse that my mom, for example,
had.
But there are still lastingimplications of watching
everything and I think when youput yourself in the perspective
of a six-year-old little girlwho's just coming home from
school, then it really kind ofadds an even deeper level of we
(11:07):
got to do something about thisand this has got to be stopped.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Yeah, absolutely.
That is so impactful.
Just to hear you talk about itin that way it's interesting,
you know, to take the backwardglance and go back and look at
what happened and really havemore of an adult context for
something that happened to youas a child.
And you also mentioned how whatbecomes normal to you living in
an abusive household or with anabusive relationship just
(11:32):
becomes your standard.
And to take it one step further, for lots of people they just
believe everyone lives like thatwhen they're children because
they don't have any other pointof reference for what it should
be like to be in a parent-childrelationship or in a family.
Dynamic home is where they findout what relationships are all
about and what they're supposedto look like.
(11:53):
And so you can go you know 10to 15 years as a kid and believe
that everybody's living thisway at home and this is what's
normal, that you know dad hitsmom, mom and dad argue dad hits
me, and until you realize that,no, this is not okay.
And that's why we do this showand why we do teen dating
violence education and domesticviolence education for students
(12:17):
and youth, so that they canreally understand what a healthy
relationship looks like andgive them tools to not only
learn about it but also to reachout to people if they need to
discuss what's happening intheir home or with an intimate
partner.
Now you are a college student,a pageant winner and so much
more.
Is there a point where you cansay you've made it and you no
(12:41):
longer feel the impact of thatdomestic violence?
Or is this more of a journeyfor you?
Speaker 3 (12:46):
I definitely think it's a journey and something
that I've always found almostinteresting.
I've always taken my life andbeen very analytical, very
analytical person, and it seemsevery stage of my life I unlock
a new challenge.
That can be traced back to mychildhood and that's been very
interesting, sometimes difficultbut interesting to navigate.
(13:08):
In the aspect I go back to whenwe first moved to Texas.
So the shooting happened when Iwas six.
We moved to Texas when I waseight.
I go back there and I thinkabout the struggles that I had
when I started to lose that selfconfidence.
You know, I was a very happykid, I was always a go getter, I
was a gymnast, I love to talkto people, I love to be around
people.
About fourth or fifth grade,completely shut down.
(13:31):
I stopped making friends.
I didn't even know how toanymore.
I lost all sense of confidenceand so that kind of started in
elementary school and then I gotto middle school, and middle
school it was horrible.
I went to a school where it wasa very some would say
privileged middle school, and soI was only one of a few black
(13:53):
kids and along with that, my momwas one of the only moms who
worked in my middle school.
It was a middle school with athousand kids too.
There were a ton of peoplethere, and another thing that I
began having to navigate is wehad these school laptops and it
became kind of you know, fun topass the time to Google each
other.
Well, when you Google CatherineOma Asagi, for a long time the
first thing that would show upwas a news article about the
(14:16):
shooting that happened, and Ihadn't talked about that at my
middle school.
Nobody knew about that.
I did not have the confidenceto start talking about it at
that point in my life, and whenpeople started finding out about
that, it became an easy targetfor them to make fun of me and
really kind of attack me.
And I look back and it justbreaks my heart that 12, 13 year
(14:37):
olds are attacking such ahorrible thing.
That happened, and so you know.
Of course, that affected myconfidence a lot, and so that
was really one of those timeswhere I felt super different
than my peers.
I did not even know how torelate to them.
I really did not talk.
I have friends now who I wentto middle school with and they
(14:59):
ask where I went to middleschool because they don't
remember me being there becauseI was so much of a shell of
myself that I did not have theconfidence to even speak to them
and now they're some of my bestfriends that I did not have the
confidence to even speak tothem and now they're some of my
best friends.
And so I look back at middleschool and that was one of those
things that you can trace backto, of course, my childhood,
High school.
(15:19):
It definitely turned around alot, but it was also still a
very interesting dynamic becauseit was a whole new set of
issues that had unlocked.
Now, at this point, I'd built alot more of my confidence.
I had a great set of issuesthat hadn't locked.
Now, at this point, I'd built alot more of my confidence.
I had a great set of friendsand I'd finally started to open
up about, you know, my familyand what happened, and it was
cool because I started seeingthat I could help people with
that.
But at the same time, you knowyou're in high school I've had
(15:42):
all these accomplishments.
I was cheer captain, I was MissTexas T and I was top of my
class in grades.
I was graduating high schoolwith an associates of science
degree.
But I was always chasingsomething.
And there's a saying, you know,being good isn't ever good
enough, and that's how I alwaysfelt.
And it was like I can do all ofthese things, I can get the
(16:04):
scholarships, I can do all thethings, but for some reason I
was never satisfied and I neverfelt like I was good enough for
the people around me.
And nobody made me seem likethat.
My family is the mostsupportive people in the world,
they would do anything for me,yeah, but it really was kind of
looking back at when I was youngand you know I am not in my
(16:26):
head I was not good enough tohave all of this praise and I
needed to keep searching, keepfighting to do something that's
going to make it worth it.
But there was nothing I couldhave done.
And so college, of course, youknow a whole, nother set of
issues.
You know, the first time I'mcompletely independent.
I grew up very independently,just with everything that my
(16:47):
family had been through, butit's a whole different level of
independence.
I was so homesick, oh mygoodness, I was so homesick for
so long, and it was a lot ofthat still chasing those
different validation things, butat the same time, I couldn't
get that validation because Iwasn't home.
So my core system, what I wasused to getting that validation
(17:09):
from, I wasn't around them everyday, and so I definitely fell
into a really kind of dark placeof trying to figure out what my
path is, what my purpose is,what I'm supposed to be doing,
and I was definitely at a reallylow, low point my freshman and
sophomore year and it took me awhile to get out of that.
And now that I'm on the otherside of it, it's really
(17:32):
interesting to see how, you know, you hit rock bottom and you
hit a low and that can almostpropel you into a place of being
at the best version of yourself.
Yeah, so, with all of that, Ithink it definitely is a journey
and I think when I, you know,am in a serious relationship,
I'm going to have more problems.
When I'm a mother one day, I'mgoing to have other issues, and
(17:55):
just being aware of that isdefinitely something that I know
I'll have to work towards, butit doesn't scare me the way that
it used to Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
You're so enlightened and self aware and I admire
that about you, especially forsuch a young woman who's
experienced so much.
And I know your family has alot to do with your sense of
self and your well-being, andyou're very close, especially
with your mom, stephanie Bond,and I think she might be your
biggest fan.
I'm pretty sure that she is thebiggest fan.
(18:23):
How have these relationshipshelped to heal the past and
build resiliency?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
in your life.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
I think how close my family and I are is something I
will never take for granted, andit is the coolest thing for my
brothers and my mom to besupportive of everything I do
and to see how they've shaped meinto the person I am today.
A lot of my friends at schoolthey think my family is the
funniest family in the world.
(18:50):
We've got our family group chatand there is always something
hilarious said, and so I'll takea screenshot and send it to
some of my best friends andthey're like you guys are unreal
, like it's so fun to have thoseclose connections, but it's
cool too, especially now thatI'm so grounded and I feel so
much better about just my senseof self.
I'm in a place where my goal isalways and has always been to
(19:15):
make my family proud and to doright by them.
I remember being four years old,five years old and my mom you
know I feel like every mom saysto their little girl like please
never grow up.
And I would say to my mom it'sokay, I'm going to grow up and
I'm going to buy you a beachhouse, and that rule hasn't
changed.
I still intend on buying her abeach house, and so it is really
(19:37):
A blessing to have people who Ilook up to so much, who
motivate me so much.
My brothers are all sodifferent.
There are three of the mostdifferent people you could ever
put in a room, but of course Ilike to tease them a little bit,
like, yeah, I have the bestversions of all three, but it's
really cool to be a combinationof three people who are so
(19:57):
different and I wouldn't changeit for the world.
They've raised me into who I amand I'm so grateful for all the
things that they've done beforeme so that I can follow in
their different footsteps,because they three took
different paths.
But it's, it is such a blessingto be so close to them.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Yeah, that's outstanding.
Now, another thing that'sreally important to you and
central to your your life isyour work within the pageant
system.
How long have you been doingthat and how has it supported
both your goals and yourself-confidence?
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Well, it was really funny.
I have been involved with MissTexas since 2021.
Now for background context.
I never grew up in pageants.
I had always wanted to do apageant.
I remember watching MissAmerica with my mom and my.
I remember watching MissAmerica with my mom, and my
grandma competed in the MissAmerica organization when she
was younger Wow, and I thoughtit was so incredible these
(20:51):
beautiful women who articulateand talented and incredible and
I always thought to myself I cannever do that.
That is not something I can do.
I am not that articulate, I amnot that talented, I do not have
much grace and poise.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Yeah, we all tell ourselves that which nothing.
Looking at you I mean talkingto you it could be.
Nothing could be further fromthe truth that is so kind.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
There was a show called Kim of Queens that was
all about this woman who was apageant coach and she was just
the coolest.
My mom and I would sit andwatch this show all the time and
I was probably nine or 10 yearsold at that point and I
remember asking her if she'dever let me do a pageant and she
said well, we don't have themoney for a dress right now for
the registration, but whenyou're older, if you still want
to do it, you know we'llconsider.
(21:33):
Fast forward, it's COVID.
I quit gymnastics.
I've been it for 12 years andthat was absolutely massive
because it was such a big partof my life.
I quit that and I missedcompeting.
And there was a girl I went tohigh school with who always
competed in Miss Texas and shesaid you know, kat, I know you
like to compete.
You should give this a try.
And I looked at her like shehad three heads.
(21:55):
I was like you're crazy, I'mnot going to do that.
I don't know how to do mymakeup.
I don't own more than two pairof heels, I'm not doing that.
And she was like just considerit, we'll talk about it, just
consider it.
So I went home and I went to mymom and I said, you know,
somebody said I should thinkabout doing a pageant and she
was like, okay, you know anotherthing I love about my mom,
she's so supportive in any ofour endeavors she was like, yeah
(22:19):
, that's fine.
She's thinking you just have tobuy a couple dresses and you
know, register and that'll be it.
Absolutely not Miss America, itis.
You know, there's paperwork,there's registration, there's
scholarship applications, allthese different things.
And so February is when Idecided to compete.
I actually bought my Miss Texasteen gown the day that was the
(22:46):
anniversary of my dad's deathand of the shooting and that's
usually such a hard day for myentire family and, looking back,
it is kind of a beautiful thingto now have that memory
attached to it.
And then, a couple months later, was Miss Texas, miss Texas
teen.
I did not expect to win, I didnot expect to make the top five.
I thought I'd go in there andget a new experience and a
couple friends and somescholarship dollars.
(23:07):
And then I ended up winningthis Texas Outstanding Team 2021
.
And then went on to place secondrunner up to Miss America's
team that following summer Wow,and it was life changing,
completely changed the course ofmy life and gave me confidence
that I'd never had, particularlybecause my platform was break
(23:27):
the cycle of abuse.
And it was a really cool fullcircle moment to have this story
of my family and it wassomething I used to hide from
and I wanted no one to know andthen suddenly bring light to it
and then have all the successbecause of the story that I used
to hide from.
Yeah, and that was also, ofcourse, monumental because that
(23:49):
showed me there is a differencethat can be made with it and it
it speaks to people and ittouches people, and so that was
huge and my pageant journey nowpast that.
I had the title for a year andit was such a blessing.
I got to travel across Texasand share my family's story,
talk to different people, dodifferent options of volunteer
work, and then after that I wentto college.
(24:11):
I also earned a fullpresidential scholarship to the
University of Alabama, which I'mat now.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Thank you, thank you, never looked at Alabama, got
the scholarship and then fell inlove with it, and so it's been
so incredible here.
And then I didn't think I wouldever compete in pageants again,
just because I was like, youknow, I did that and it was
incredible, but I don't know ifI'm going to come back to it.
And then a couple months ago,once again in February, I kind
(24:44):
of got the itch and I was like,wow, you know, I don't think
that I really did everythingthat I could do with my platform
and with this story, and MissTexas is unique because it
really propels you to have aplatform that you wouldn't have
had without.
And so every time that I havethe opportunity to share this
story, to share my family'sstory, I know it's going to
touch at least one person and Idon't ever want to take
(25:06):
advantage of that and I neverwant to waste such a horrible
thing that happened.
If there can be good, that'sdone with it.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Yeah, that's amazing.
So you are also Miss Louisvilleright.
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
So I'm the current Miss Louisville and I'm getting
ready to compete for the titleof Miss Texas here at the end of
June.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
So excited for you.
You are amazing and I wanted toask you about some of the other
types of volunteer work you do.
I know that you work, or youhave worked, as a mentor to
young children.
Tell us about what you do there.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Absolutely so.
This was a big thing I did inhigh school.
I had a good handful of peoplethat I mentored and I was in a
class where we actually got togo to these neighboring
elementary and middle schoolsand be mentors to some of the
kids who might not have the mostideal family life, and that was
something that was such apassion of mine because I didn't
get that when I was inelementary school and if I would
(25:59):
have had that, I think it wouldhave changed so much about my
confidence and all of thesedifferent things.
So having that in high schoolwas huge for me.
Now at school and in college,you know it can be a little bit
harder to find those differentopportunities, but they're there
if you look.
And I knew that this was such apassion of mine and I have the
(26:22):
time.
There is time for anything ifyou make it.
And one of my friends actuallyhe was involved with Big
Brothers, big Sisters of WestAlabama and so I had reached out
to him and I said how did youget involved with this?
And he got me in contact withthe people out here for Big
Brothers, big Sisters and now Iget to be a big to a sweet
little third grader.
(26:42):
She is the best, and it is socool to see so much of myself
and her and know that she'sgoing to be on the right path
and, if nothing else, she's gotsomeone that she can look up to.
You know we always talk aboutour curly hair and you know it's
a lot of fun to have that.
(27:03):
And she wears glasses, so I'llwear my glasses when I see her
and it's really cool to see theimpacts of just being present in
someone's life.
It's so rewarding and I wouldnot change it for the world, and
so just that mentorship aspectis probably one of, I think, the
biggest gifts that you can giveto another person, and it's
(27:25):
truly one of my passions.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Yeah, I can totally understand why it would be.
I'm so proud of you, I'm soproud to know you, and I
appreciate you sharing yourstory of not just being a
survivor.
This is more than that.
This is about resilience andliving the life that you want
for yourself, and you arecertainly doing.
Let's catch up again soon afterthe Miss Texas competition.
(27:47):
I definitely want to find outhow that all works out.
I hope you make it, I hope youwin it and I wish you all the
best.
Thank you for being here today.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Thank you so much I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Genesis Women's Shelter and Support exists to
give women in abusive situationsa way out.
We are committed to our missionof providing safety, shelter
and support for women andchildren who have experienced
domestic violence and to raiseawareness regarding its cause,
prevalence and impact.
Join us in creating a societalshift on how people think about
(28:18):
domestic violence.
You can learn more atGenesisShelterorg and when you
follow us on social media onFacebook and Instagram at
Genesis Women's Shelter, and onX at Genesis Shelter.
The Genesis Helpline isavailable 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, by call or text at214-946-HELP 214-946-4357.
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