A member of the Sexual Assault Network of Delaware, the Victims' Rights Task Force of Delaware and the Domestic Violence Task Force of Delaware, Seguin has worked at Wellspring for the past four years counseling UD students who have been victims of sexual assault. She said the award is an honor and that she hopes that the public attention it attracts will raise public awareness of sexual assault crimes.
“This award is a huge honor to me because it is my colleagues in the state who nominated me,” Seguin said. “There are a lot of great professionals who do this kind of work who don't get attention for it, so I'm very honored. But I'm also accepting it for all those other people who don't get awarded for their countless hours of devoted time in their work as advocates for victims.”
Seguin, who as director of UD's Sexual Offense Support (SOS) program specializes in counseling young women who have been sexually assaulted or abused in childhood, or are experiencing dating violence, said that although statistics show the widespread existence of sexual assault crimes, their prominence in the news and in the public's awareness is relatively low.
“Statistically, we know that there are many, many victims in our community who don't seek assistance for months, years, or at all,” Seguin said. “So the more we can do to let people know that sexual assaults are common and alleviate the sense of shame felt by survivors, the better."
Seguin, who received her bachelor's degree in psychology and criminal justice and her master's degree in education, specializing in college counseling and student personnel administration from UD, was one of more than 60 Delawareans who walked in this year's annual “Walk in My Shoes” march from Scull Mansion to Legislative Hall in Dover to promote awareness and prevention of sexual violence in their communities.
Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Tyler Jacobson, AS '06