Selena went out with her friends one night to a club. A man introduced himself and asked her to dance. He was very charming and the two of them immediately hit it off and he asked for her phone number so he could take her out on a proper date. For weeks she was showered with sweet loving text messages, flowers, gifts, and new clothes, she felt like she was in a dream and had found her perfect man, her soulmate. Then one night, after many lavish dates, he asked her to sleep with another man, she was aghast at his request and promptly refused. He became enraged, he hit her and told her she didn’t have a choice as he had bought her with all the gifts she had been given, and she needed to repay him, and this was the only way. He overpowered her, gave her drugs, and forced her to obey his orders.

Over time this became the normal pattern between them. When she thought about leaving, he would threaten to hurt her or her family, making it hard for her to escape the escalating abuse. Her trafficker had control of where she would go, who she could meet, and even preventing her from continuing to work at her job. He had completely isolated her from her family and friends. One day they had an especially heated argument, and he locked her inside his car and closed all the windows during a very hot summer day. She passed out from the heat and her trafficker had to take her to the hospital. At the hospital, she was attended to by a case manager from Waymakers, who was able to guide her towards Radiant Futures.

With the help of her case worker and Radiant Futures’ advocate, while her trafficker was out, she was covertly discharged from the hospital and immediately went into Radiant Futures’ Emergency Shelter. During her time at Radiant Futures’ Emergency Shelter, Selena took her first steps toward healing by participating in individual therapy sessions and groups designed to help her recover from the trauma she endured. Some of the groups she joined included the Personal Empowerment Program (PEP), Coping Club, and gardening therapy.

Her hope and determination to rebuild her life was evident from day one. With a strong focus on finding employment, Selena embraced every opportunity that came her way. A turning point came when Disneyland hosted a recruitment workshop at Radiant Futures. Selena had attended life skills training, at Radiant Futures, which helped her build her resume, go through mock interviews and choose interviewing clothes. With the support she received with her job application she secured an interview. The prospect of working at Disneyland was especially exciting for Selena and just one week after her interview, she was officially offered a job and a start date to work at Disneyland..

In addition to employment, Selena worked closely with her housing advocate to explore housing options. Open to relocating anywhere for a safe and stable home, she tirelessly contacted transitional housing programs. Her perseverance paid off when she was accepted into a transitional home in Orange County, close to work at Disneyland, allowing her to graduate early from our Emergency Shelter program.

Selena’s journey is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved with resilience, support, and determination. We are so proud of her accomplishments and wish her continued success in this new chapter of her life. For more information about our human trafficking program, please contact our 24-hr helpline 877-531-5522.