Samia -Making Her Past Obstacles Stepping Stones to Impact the Youth
Samia Collins is a long time Cleveland resident and new author. She grew up in the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Cleveland Public Schools until high school when she transferred to Shaker Heights High School where she graduated. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Central State University and her Master of Science degree at Capella University Online. Samia’s academic credentials are impressive, but her bright spirit, her passion for life, and her quest to be a meaningful and positive voice in this world are only matched by the explosive fireworks show on Independence Day.
Early in Samia’s life she was molested which led to her disbelieve that sex equated to love. As a child growing up, it made complete sense to her that if she wanted to be loved when she grew up, then why not become a prostitute. Prostitutes are known for having a lot of sexual relations, so she thought she would have plenty of love in this career. As she went through the next fraction of her childhood she made up her mind, when she grew up she wanted to be a prostitute. As the years flew by and she grew up mentally and emotionally, she discovered that her perceived correlation between prostitutes and love was distorted and incorrect thinking and prostitution relations is not really what love is. So she focused on her education and began working in Social Services. Samia quickly realized that because of her past she, could recognize young women who have been abused and they flocked to her, feeling comfortable enough to tell her exactly what was going on in thier lives.
In 2010, Samia met a young lady while working in Atlanta who confided that she was a victim of abuse. Samia and the victim decided to talk to the victim's mother about the abuse. Her mother was in denial and accused the victim of being a liar. The victim was so broken and became self-destructive over the hurt of the abuse and her mother’s words that she chose to run away. Sadly, Samia eventually lost contact with the young victim. The behavior of the mother towards the young girl enraged Samia and fueled her fire to give all victims of abuse a voice. This determination developed into her book When I Grow Up I want to be a Prostitute.
Once Samia decided she was going to write this book, that is exactly what she did day and night for the next 30 days. When I Grow up I want to be a Prostitute is a collection of fictional stories and events surrounding three young girls exposed to sexual abuse in the early part of their lives. The purpose of the book is to initiate dialogue on how to recognize the negative effects of childhood sexual abuse. The book helps us to understand how such abuse effects young girls and their views on life. When I Grow up I want to be a Prostitute includes three main characters: Emily, Neka, and Tabbi. Emily is a quiet and very naive child who loses everything and doesn’t even realize how lost she is. No one knows what happens to her until she has committed some extremely brutal acts. Neka is positively aggressive and uses her abuse as inspiration to become successful. Tabbi is a very heartbroken character, who is only guilty of loving her mother.
Samia hopes her book When I Grow Up I want to be a Prostitute will cause people to be more open to not judging “a book by its cover”. This book is a small window into the life of damaged children so Samia expects this book to help people who work with or who cross paths with this population understand how to be more sensitive to their already wounded spirits. More importantly, she hopes it will help young women see that there is life after tragedy and how to live through the tragedy that is sexual abuse. Samia says “We spend too much time running from our obstacles instead of using them as stepping stones.”
In addition to being an author, Samia is also very involved in our local community. She is the founder of the non-profit "AS I AM" Girls Club - an organization for girls ages 11-18 years old. She has worked in several schools and community centers in Cleveland, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia over the past 10 years facilitating programs to help girls build self-esteem, especially after tragedy. Recently she has spoken at workshops, schools, and events to talk about overcoming obstacles in life. She is also doing a workshop entitled “In someone Else’s Shoes” that speaks directly to people about seeing things through the eyes of others and not taking on a judgmental or damaging attitude.
If you are interested in Samia’s book or know someone who would benefit from it, you can purchase When I Grow Up I want to be a Prostitute on her website http://www.melisasamiacollins.com or on amazon.com.
