Profile: Karina Reyes

This is Karina Reyes' first semester at L.A. City College as a part-timer. She hasn't locked down her exact field of study but knows that her future could possibly involve working with children. Having come from Downtown Magnet High School, Reyes expresses how fortunate she has been in regards to the mentors and a supportive after-school program she had available growing up.

She's a product of the after school program former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley started in 1988. The program aimed at enriching children and teenagers in the city continues to grow strong to this day. This program is part of the reason why she would love to pursue a career involving kids.

"I would love to work with kids. One of the most curious things about children is the way they think," said Reyes.

Reyes also shared the need to protect children through such programs. She personally shared a frightening life-changing experience she had as a teenager.

One evening, 16-year-old Reyes walked through her neighborhood's poorly lit streets after leaving the grocery store. She had just completed the last chore her mother sent her on for that day. The streets she walked in were a normal route she had taken for years. That night she didn't expect what was going to happen to her. She refers it as the day that changed her life.

From the corner of her eyes, she noticed a stranger a few feet away. She began to hear footsteps of what seemed to be two men. She picked up her pace, once noticing that they were moving in on her. She slowly began to run with her bags on hand as one of the assailants grabbed and pushed her against the wall. One of the men physically held her against the wall. Fearing for her life Reyes began to scream for help. She remembers both of them forcibly groping her.

"Now that I think about it. The matter probably took a minute, like a flash. All I could hear was the beat of my heart pounding," said Reyes."I was scared."

Her cries for help got the attention of a passerby who managed to startle the assailants. Both men fled the scene before the police could take matters into their hands.

"There was a cop car in the area when this took place, but they were non-responsive," said Reyes. "I felt like the police weren't there for me when this incident took place. I felt helpless. I thought the bad guys were going to be put away, but they weren't. They're still out there. There could be other victims like me."

Reyes made a police report trying to do her best to describe the details she was left with regarding both men. But she felt like the officers at the scene weren't taking her serious. After filing the report that night the police left empty handed.

Three years ago this incident took place. Coping with this has been something Reyes says has been doing gradually on a "day-by-day process," but something that she is comfortable sharing.

"It's amazing how closer my mother, father, and even brother have been since this incident," admits Reyes. "You definitely lose trust in a lot of things and view life differently. If I'm ever out in the evening, I keep a close watch of my surroundings. It's like you lose trust on a lot of things. That's why I think kids should receive the best protection. It's a reminder why I feel like helping my community."

Reyes did receive some professional counseling soon after, but admits that the communication with her family has best helped her cope with the past. She doesn't discourage professional guidance, but shares that sometimes family is best at handling hard times. She currently volunteers at the LA's Best: After School Program as her way of helping the children in her community.

"I'm able to freely talk about this because I think it might will help everyone understand a part of my life," concluded Reyes.