Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
By Matthew Asher STAFF WRITER [email protected] Not every person can answer phone calls regarding sexual assault as part of a job. Even fewer people are able to successfully help victims of sexual assault for three straight years. But Eastern New Mexico University student Sarah Long is not most people. Currently a volunteer at ARISE Sexual Assault Services, Long has helped men, women, boys and girls of all ages deal with the aftermath of these difficult events. Although Long officially started volunteering at ARISE in February 2014, the desire to help out victims of sexual assault stemmed a long time before that from her family. “My mom initially was a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner),” Long said. “My older sister started off as an advocate here. She’s now a SANE since she has her nursing degree. It just felt right for me to do this.” While her mother and sister went the medical route, Long doesn’t see herself becoming a SANE but does plan on continuing this career path. “I started off my college education going into medicine,” she said. “I was majoring in biology pre-med and minoring in chemistry. Last semester, I decided to switch to psychology with a minor in biology. Ultimately, I want to go into forensic psychology because of the work we do here. We’re able to help out a lot of people that generally don’t have anywhere to go.” Long said she wants to get involved in the social-legal aspect of forensic psychology rather than the criminal-legal aspect which would involve her evaluating the mental/emotional state of the victim or the parent if a case ends up going to court. It’s certainly a tough job to handle, said Long, but it’s worth it to help out these victims. “I remember having this one little girl,” Long said. “Before exams, we want to make sure the patient is comfortable. I took her into our playroom, and we were playing with dolls doing what little girls like to do. After the exam, her mom was filling out paperwork, and we went back into the playroom. Once the mom was finally finished and came to get her daughter, the girl said ‘Mommy, can I come back tomorrow and play with Sarah?’ I got choked up from that.” Ashley Standish, an advocate coordinator at ARISE who has worked with Long since the start of her volunteering in 2014, said she feels lucky to have Long on their team. “Sarah’s one of my favorite people,” Standish said. “I appreciate her dedication. She’s so dedicated and so dependable. I know when she’s on the calendar, I don’t have to worry about anything. She’s backed with a lot of knowledge in more ways than words can describe. “It takes a special kind of person to say ‘I’m going to do this job for three years rather than simply volunteer one Saturday a month.” Long is now a senior at ENMU and would like to continue working for ARISE as long as she can. “For me the best part of this job is just knowing we’re able to provide a service like this,” she said. “Lots of times people don’t know it’s available.”
STAFF WRITER
Not every person can answer phone calls regarding sexual assault as part of a job.
Even fewer people are able to successfully help victims of sexual assault for three straight years. But Eastern New Mexico University student Sarah Long is not most people. Currently a volunteer at ARISE Sexual Assault Services, Long has helped men, women, boys and girls of all ages deal with the aftermath of these difficult events.
Although Long officially started volunteering at ARISE in February 2014, the desire to help out victims of sexual assault stemmed a long time before that from her family.
“My mom initially was a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner),” Long said. “My older sister started off as an advocate here. She’s now a SANE since she has her nursing degree. It just felt right for me to do this.”
While her mother and sister went the medical route, Long doesn’t see herself becoming a SANE but does plan on continuing this career path.
“I started off my college education going into medicine,” she said. “I was majoring in biology pre-med and minoring in chemistry. Last semester, I decided to switch to psychology with a minor in biology. Ultimately, I want to go into forensic psychology because of the work we do here. We’re able to help out a lot of people that generally don’t have anywhere to go.”
Long
Long said she wants to get involved in the social-legal aspect of forensic psychology rather than the criminal-legal aspect which would involve her evaluating the mental/emotional state of the victim or the parent if a case ends up going to court.
It’s certainly a tough job to handle, said Long, but it’s worth it to help out these victims.
“I remember having this one little girl,” Long said. “Before exams, we want to make sure the patient is comfortable. I took her into our playroom, and we were playing with dolls doing what little girls like to do. After the exam, her mom was filling out paperwork, and we went back into the playroom.
Once the mom was finally finished and came to get her daughter, the girl said ‘Mommy, can I come back tomorrow and play with Sarah?’ I got choked up from that.”
Ashley Standish, an advocate coordinator at ARISE who has worked with Long since the start of her volunteering in 2014, said she feels lucky to have Long on their team.
“Sarah’s one of my favorite people,” Standish said. “I appreciate her dedication. She’s so dedicated and so dependable. I know when she’s on the calendar, I don’t have to worry about anything. She’s backed with a lot of knowledge in more ways than words can describe.
“It takes a special kind of person to say ‘I’m going to do this job for three years rather than simply volunteer one Saturday a month.”
Long is now a senior at ENMU and would like to continue working for ARISE as long as she can.
“For me the best part of this job is just knowing we’re able to provide a service like this,” she said. “Lots of times people don’t know it’s available.”
