Five years ago, while preparing to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in arts, technology and the business of innovation from USC, Hannah Nowak was sexually assaulted. Nowak said the crime “overshadowed” what was a “big milestone” in her life.

Now, determined not to let the assault define her, Nowak created a recurring $2,500 scholarship with the goal of allowing undergraduate survivors of sexual assault to focus on their academic goals during their healing journey by covering some tuition. 

“This April marks five years since my own assault, so I wanted to do something to you know, kind of honor my growth period, and leave something behind that I could be really proud of,” Nowak said. “What sticks with me about my college experience is a really awful feeling. So I wanted to do something that I could leave behind at USC and be like, ‘Here’s something good.’ I can look back at my experience and be like, ‘Something really beautiful came out of this.’” 

Nowak hopes that the scholarship application process will empower survivors to reclaim their voices and narrative. According to Nowak, writing the application allows applicants to discuss how assault experiences can change you, but do not have to define you.

“I was really quiet, and I feel like a lot of survivors have been silenced in their own experience,” Nowak said. “There’s a kind of ownership and taking back in narrative when you’re speaking about how you’ve overcome something awful.”

The second half of the title of the scholarship honors Porschia Adler, a fellow USC alum who is also a survivor of sexual assault. Nowak wanted to add Adler’s name to the title of the scholarship as “an homage” to their shared experience and the bond. Adler agreed to add her name to the scholarship because she believed in the message of resiliency and felt inspired by Nowak’s passion for it. 

Adler hopes that the scholarship will allow students who are sexual assault survivors to be aware of the community support that they have. 

“I’d like [survivors] to know that they’re not alone. I’d like them to know that what they’re feeling and all the obstacles that they’re facing [are] not out of the ordinary,” Adler said. “It’s not something that’s their fault.”

Nowak said there are not many scholarships for sexual assault survivors tied to universities and is hopeful other schools will follow USC. 

“I wanted USC to be like, ‘We do really support every single student, no matter their background or what they’ve experienced,’ and so this [the scholarship] gives them the means to do that,” Nowak said. “I hope other schools will take this … in a positive way.”

According to Nowak, there was difficulty in getting USC to get the word out about the scholarships so that students were aware of them. 

“They’ve been very responsive in getting it set up, but have been very absent when it comes to supporting or publicizing this scholarship so that it actually reaches the students,” Nowak said. 

Sarah Trudell-McCoy, associate senior vice president for university advancement, said that her goal was to work with the donor to make sure that the scholarship meets their goals and that students can access it, and she believes that USC did that successfully.

According to Trudell-McCoy, the scholarship is important since it helps survivors see the resources out there for them and the ways in which the University is supporting them. 

“The fact that the University has the scholarship and can award it to survivors of sexual assault, I think it is a great honor, and I think it’s a really important thing to do,” Trudell-McCoy said.

The hope is that the scholarship will help survivors both see and feel the support available to them, according to Nowak. 

“I want people to know that bad things happen and you can suffer, and you can grow from it. And there are people out there to support you. You know, there [are] lots of organizations, but I want them to feel supported at their own school, and to know that USC has their back,” Nowak said. 

If you are in need of support, here are some resources you can contact: USC Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services: Located at Engemann Student Health Center Suite 356. Individuals can call (213)-740-9355 and request to speak with an advocate or counselor. Services are confidential. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): A free, confidential hotline that is active 24/7. Individuals can call (800)-656-4673

Clarification: This article was updated on April 30 at 8:38 p.m. to reflect that the scholarship is not a one-time $2,500 scholarship and renews every semester.