Students at Seneca Valley School District got a lesson about internet safety and the dangers that come with it by hearing from a victim who survived a harrowing ordeal.
At age 13, Alicia Kozakiewicz was abducted by an online predator who groomed her for months with flattery, then held her in his Virginia home where he raped and tortured her.
That was in January 2002.
Two decades later, Kozakiewicz is a motivational speaker, has a master’s degree in forensic psychology and continues to educate kids as part of her healing.
SV Foundation paid for her give a talk at the school.
In an effort to keep kids safe online and on social media, Kozakiewicz talked candidly to students about the many dangers online and shared real-life stories.
“Now, I’m alive and standing here because I got a real-life miracle. And you might not be so lucky,” Kozakiewicz said. “Yep, that’s me and I made some really silly mistakes because I was just a kid. And we do that a lot, don’t we? We all make mistakes.”
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