Jamie Hopkins

I was born in a small rural town in Mississippi to an accountant and a sharecropper. As a child, I've experienced and witnessed every form of domestic violence. One day, my mother brought a Navy brochure to me and encouraged me to join. My life journey towards healing began at that moment.

I've since learned the strength of the women in my lineage and now I realize that my mother saved my life - she is my she-ro! Divorce and single motherhood pushed me to go back to college and obtain a dual graduate degree in Business.

For over 10 years, I've worked as a research consultant manager which led to travel to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Indonesia and Cambodia to conduct focus groups, household surveys, one-on-one and group interviews with government officials and children affected by child trafficking. This travel has broadened my senses to different cultures and lifestyles; and has created a deep respect to all mankind, with all ethnicities and backgrounds.

The pain of my past has developed into a passion to help others with similar or worst backgrounds, realizing there are people hurting all over the world. As part of my healing process, I wrote and self-published a book cataloging my sexual abuse and survival; but that is just the beginning of the impact I intend to make in this world.

My purpose in life is to be the voice of the child (boy or girl) who is being abused by someone they know, yet they do not have the wherewithal to verbalize the abuse. I will continue the fight to bring awareness to what is done in the dark, expose the ugly truths, and create an environment of healing for the hurt.

The bottom line: Love Doesn't Hurt. This is my story ... what's yours?