Lauren Book-Lim is cultivating two things: sexual abuse awareness and a bad case of shin splints.
In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the 25-year-old’s 500-mile walk across Florida will lead her through UF Friday morning, where she will talk about the sexual abuse she endured as a teenager and encourage those who have been abused to seek help.
“It’s time to shed the shame,” she said in a phone interview Wednesday. “It’s always OK to tell someone about [abuse.]”
Her trek, called, “Walk in My Shoes,” began April 2 in her home town of Aventura, near Fort Lauderdale, and is scheduled to end at the Florida state capitol building in Tallahassee, where she will lobby for the passage of legislation intended to protect children from sexual abuse.
At 9 a.m. on Friday, students will be encouraged to walk with Book-Lim from the Reitz Union to the Plaza of the Americas, where she will speak, said Sarah Kunkler, a UF sophomore and spokeswoman for the event.
Book-Lim, who is averaging about 28 miles each day, said it has been exciting to see people across the state tell how they escaped abuse.
