By Isabella Riano, Contributing Writer
Noemi Reyes is Saint Leo University’s Campus Advocacy, Resources, and Education (CARE) program director. The CARE program assists in raising awareness, educating the community about prevention, and providing support to survivors of sexual assault or violence. Reyes does more than work at Saint Leo; she takes a humanitarian position in our community and has a longstanding history of working to support others.
Reyes earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences from the University of Florida. After completing her studies, Reyes did an internship where she worked on grants through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to prevent chronic diseases for minority populations living in rural areas.
“I enjoyed working directly with community members and providing resources to help people lead healthier lives,” she said. Reyes not only took this position to gain work experience, but also to financially support minorities that are at high risk of living with a chronic illness.
During the second year of her graduate degree, she interned for the Office of the State Attorney as a Victim Advocate intern. She provided direct services and crisis intervention to victims of crimes. It was then that survivors of sexual assault or violence touched Reyes.
“There was one case that motivated me to continue this work – the homicide of a woman, a domestic violence victim. The woman and her boyfriend had domestic violence disputes in the past. I could not help but think that her death was preventable,” said Reyes.
Although she felt impotent, Reyes was grateful that this case encouraged her to create dating violence awareness.
“Witnessing this case motivated me to continue having conversations about dating and sexual violence with others, no matter how uncomfortable they can sometimes be,” said Reyes.
Reyes often collaborates with Saint Leo’s Green Dot program. Green Dot hosts informational sessions about dating violence and discussions about consent, sexual assault prevention, and advice for sexual assault survivors. Although they are a separate entity from the CARE program, they often work together because their focus areas are closely aligned.
Reyes remains thankful for the opportunity to take part in the CARE program at Saint Leo since August 2019.
“I thoroughly enjoy the work I do here as the project director with the CARE program. We have partnered with amazing community organizations like Sunrise of Pasco County who oversee our Green Dot program,” said Reyes.
The CARE program hosts multiple events throughout the year and trains campus staff.
“In the past, we trained our resident assistants on report writing. We also partnered with Sunrise to train our university safety officers on trauma-informed investigation practices,” said Reyes.
Reyes is glad she has made connections with other students who have opened conversations about dating violence and sexual abuse.
“What I love most about the students at Saint Leo is that they challenge the status quo,” Reyes said. “They push for those difficult conversations around consent or sexual assault.” She feels accomplished with her program, as it has normalized those conversations.
Reyes’ ultimate goal with her project is to embody the meaning of one of Saint Leo’s core values: community.
“By teaching our community members both on and off-campus how to be active bystanders, set healthy boundaries, and develop healthy relationships, we foster unity and respect,” said Reyes.
She also intends to inform students about all the counseling resources Saint Leo offers: “I have come across students who do not know they can receive a free Sexual Assault Victim Examination (SAVE). I have also talked to survivors who do not know that there is free counseling and a 24/7 response hotline,” she said.
Reyes takes pride in giving back to the community. “Although collecting accolades is nice, my biggest accomplishment is not so much what I have been able to get at Saint Leo, but what I have been able to give,” said Reyes
As a Catholic school that offers free counseling services for all students and meetings with members of the University Ministry that help those who are struggling, Saint Leo strives to support those struggling with depression after experiencing trauma. Reyes is significantly contributing to this effort.
She uses her skills, knowledge, and energy to help prevent sexual assault at Saint Leo while working on a passionate topic. That is what Saint Leo’s resources and workers like Reyes are for: to ensure that no one who has experienced trauma feels left behind.
