Ashley Rhodes-Courter Research Paper
Ashley Rhodes-Courter: Story of a Survivor
In a state of despair people can choose to let that break them or they can fight. Ashley had a childhood filled with foster home after foster home. She saw no light at the end of the tunnel. Abused and neglected, Ashley lost her innocence long before a child should. Some would let the world break them Ashley Rhodes-Courter did not. She was resilient and unbroken by cruelty. Even in early stages of life, Ashley faced many difficult situations. Ashley was born in 1986. She had a younger brother Luke, he had heart problems. So he had to wear a heart monitor (Rhodes-Courter 1). Her biological mother was Lorraine Rhodes (Rhodes-Courter preface). Since Lorraine was deemed as an unfit mother, Ashley entered …show more content…
Until she met Gay and Phil Courter in September of 1997 (Rhodes-Courter 310). Ashley did not believe that they would really adopt her, she was afraid that if they did they would unadopt her at any moment. Even when they later adopted her on July 28th, 1998 (Rhodes-Courter 302);she often test them by misbehaving to see if they would send her back. When they did not, she realized that she was loved and this is her forever home. The neglect and abuse she suffered as a child inspired her to stand up for those who cannot. It started when Ashley was 14, and she sued the Department of Children and Families for the sub-par foster homes that lead to abuse. When she was in high school she entered the USA Today essay contest. When she won the contest, publishers encouraged her to write her story as a book. She completed it on the 6th anniversary of her adoption (Summers 2). Ashley eventually got her bachelors of arts in communications and theater in Eckerd College (Summers 3). Ashley’s life left her bruised and bloody but never broke her. For the first part of her life all Ashley knew was not to trust anyone. Phil and Gay changed that, showing her what being part of a family and being loved it like. She used her pain to prevent other’s pain. What people are forced to go through does not define them, how they handle it
In a state of despair people can choose to let that break them or they can fight. Ashley had a childhood filled with foster home after foster home. She saw no light at the end of the tunnel. Abused and neglected, Ashley lost her innocence long before a child should. Some would let the world break them Ashley Rhodes-Courter did not. She was resilient and unbroken by cruelty. Even in early stages of life, Ashley faced many difficult situations. Ashley was born in 1986. She had a younger brother Luke, he had heart problems. So he had to wear a heart monitor (Rhodes-Courter 1). Her biological mother was Lorraine Rhodes (Rhodes-Courter preface). Since Lorraine was deemed as an unfit mother, Ashley entered …show more content…
Until she met Gay and Phil Courter in September of 1997 (Rhodes-Courter 310). Ashley did not believe that they would really adopt her, she was afraid that if they did they would unadopt her at any moment. Even when they later adopted her on July 28th, 1998 (Rhodes-Courter 302);she often test them by misbehaving to see if they would send her back. When they did not, she realized that she was loved and this is her forever home. The neglect and abuse she suffered as a child inspired her to stand up for those who cannot. It started when Ashley was 14, and she sued the Department of Children and Families for the sub-par foster homes that lead to abuse. When she was in high school she entered the USA Today essay contest. When she won the contest, publishers encouraged her to write her story as a book. She completed it on the 6th anniversary of her adoption (Summers 2). Ashley eventually got her bachelors of arts in communications and theater in Eckerd College (Summers 3). Ashley’s life left her bruised and bloody but never broke her. For the first part of her life all Ashley knew was not to trust anyone. Phil and Gay changed that, showing her what being part of a family and being loved it like. She used her pain to prevent other’s pain. What people are forced to go through does not define them, how they handle it