In a powerful and deeply personal video shared on Instagram, Let’s Talk About Jessica (@paralegal_) opened up about her high school years, revealing how childhood sexual abuse and neglect at home collided with bullying and indifference at school, leaving her vulnerable and homeless during her senior year.
Jessica described being molested by her stepfather for over a decade, while her mother subjected her to mental and physical abuse.
By middle school, her mother had stopped buying her clothes or doing her hair, forcing Jessica to walk into classrooms wearing secondhand and ill-fitting outfits that drew ridicule from classmates.
“What was embarrassing,” she said, “I was actively stealing clothes out of the lost and found, praying that the person who lost it didn’t find it on me.”
Her testimony underscores how visible warning signs of abuse—such as declining grades, poor hygiene, or withdrawn behavior—can be missed by educators and peers alike.
By her senior year, the abuse escalated to the point where Jessica was kicked out of her home at 3 a.m. With nowhere to go, she slept at her high school for two weeks. Only one person noticed: Oakland Tech Vice Principal Miss Morrison, who offered her compassion and small jobs that gave Jessica enough money to attend prom.
Jessica’s story took a turn when a friend’s family welcomed her into their home, allowing her to finish high school with stability.
Her message today is clear: parents must teach empathy, teachers and administrators must be trained to recognize red flags, and students must understand the real cost of cruelty.
“Kids don’t always say ‘I’m being abused,’ but you’ll see it in their grades, you’ll see it in their silence,” she said. “Sometimes the cruel joke you laugh at is the very thing that keeps kids from asking for help.”
Her account has struck a chord online, sparking conversations about the legal and moral obligations of schools to identify abuse, protect vulnerable students, and provide pathways to safety.
