Virginia Student Overcomes Odds, Sets Sights On Restorative Justice
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- Jul 13
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 16
The Brian Wilson Memorial Scholarship is awarded to students nationwide who demonstrate excellence in performing arts and creative abilities, coupled with a strong record of community service. Special consideration is given to those actively involved in school violence prevention, bullying prevention, and the overall advancement of student and youth welfare in their communities.
Our Latest Scholarship Recipient from Virginia, True Schrider, an honors graduate from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia transferred to PHHS from Blacksburg High School, ultimately graduating with honors after overcoming daunting challenges.
Below, we share her story of struggle, bravery & restorative justice...
True Schrider, an honors graduate from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, transferred to PHHS from Blacksburg High School due to extreme emotional, cyber, and physical bullying.
From age 8 to age 16, True endured targeted bullying that was orchestrated by a classmate and her mother, a middle school teacher. The mom vilified True to the mothers of other girls in True's class and parents. And, True became the subject of class rumors, lies, and cruel mischaracterizations. She was ostracized as a normal practice.
Although guidance counselors, administrators, and teachers were informed and solicited for help, the bullying continued and expanded. No polices were implemented to mitigate harm from negative interactions.
Policies that directly addressed how to handle conflict when it arises, and could have contributed to “saving the next kid”, were never pursued. True’s family ultimately made the decision to have her transfer to PHHS The shortsighted approach of ignoring bullying and allowing it to continue, contributed to the murder/suicide of two other students at BHS the first Fall semester after True transferred out, with the task force finally assigned after petitions and protests from the community, finding it a result of “systematic failures within the school division.”
Her new high school was a breath of fresh air for one and a half years. Then, when a group of kids was targeting some of True's friends with similar false rumors and cruelty, True defended her friends. True also went to her teacher and her guidance counselor for help, but nothing changed.
Bullies immediately turned their focus on True. This familiar experience in her new school triggered True's CPTSD, and pushed her to a breaking point, and on the brink of another mental health crisis. Similar to what happened during events in Blacksburg, once she reached a breaking point, she was punished for it, rather than receiving the support and attention the situation needed from teachers and administrators she trusted in her new school system.
The teachers, administrators, and other adults involved failed to recognize that True needed help and protection. These teachers and administrators instead punished and vilified the accomplished student, and proliferated the false rumors.
The difference was that this time, True had grown and learned to recognize the severity of systematic failures. She focused on what she could do, instead of fixating on what she was taught she couldn’t. She chose not to be a victim.
At this time of crisis, True's family reached out to the Life Foundation, already in Roanoke, due to a bullying related suicide, which led the Uvalde Foundation for Kids representing her. Without their support, she would not have graduated, would not have maintained the GPA she needed to continue on to Bates College, and may not become the only living kid Uvalde has represented. They helped True and they saved the next kid. Now, True and her family are working to do the same.
In her own words, True talks about her aspirations for academic study and what lead her to this desired path:
At some point, we have all felt like our voices were being ignored —some more than others. I consider it one of the worst feelings in the world, and I would never wish it on anyone. Everyone deserves validation that their narrative matters. That is one reason I plan to double-major in Psychology and Theatre.
Both concentrations reflect my core interest: to listen to and tell other people's stories. Psychology teaches me about the human mind so I can help others process, heal, and grow. As someone who's faced mental health challenges in adolescence, I am passionate about promoting mental health, especially for children. I hope to one day start a practice that incorporates creative outlets like art and storytelling into therapeutic work.
Theatre creates a visible space for emotional truth, especially for voices often left in the shadows. Performing keeps me balanced and is my outlet for expression and connection. Embodying stories through characters permits me to give both voice and visibility to songs otherwise left unsung.
I understand the nuances of pursuing two seemingly different disciplines, but Bates College is where I hope to integrate my love for science and art into a meaningful future. College isn't just a stepping-stone to a career—it's a commitment to remain curious and continue to grow in purpose. My education is invaluable and I'm excited to enter this next stage of life I've been anticipating since seventh grade.
While she continues on her educational journey, True also wants to be actively involved in creating healthy systems within our communities and our schools to address the dangerous behaviors that are threatening the emotional health, mental health, and personal safety of kids everywhere. One possible avenue that could change the toxic cycles is implementation of Restorative Justice Programs.
True, as an ambassador for Restorative justice, through the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, aims to address harm by repairing damage when community agreements are broken.
The modern usage of the term ” Restorative justice” as introduced by Albert Eglash in 1977 described three different approaches to justice:
● "retributive justice", based on punishment;
● "distributive justice", involving therapeutic treatment of offenders;`
● "restorative justice", based on restitution with input from victims and offenders.
This lets us as a community bounce back from a negative interaction with more knowledge and understanding on the boundaries and limits with our peers then we had before. This process allows for the possibility that by processing conflict we can actually bring our community closer together.
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