A cricket’s most definable physical characteristic is it’s strong and powerful legs. Maybe that’s why Jennifer’s middle school track coach gave her the nickname. The name “Cricket” would stick and it would become strangely fitting over time. At age 18, Cricket became a NCAA Division 1 track star for the University of Houston. But it was a long road to get there. In the second grade, her school counselor noticed bruises on her body. “They created a file on me, with images of my abuse… I knew something was wrong but I was still afraid to get my mother in trouble.” Running from child abuse is much easier said than done, but in a weird that’s exactly what Cricket did. The full athletic scholarship she earned turned into a life of new possibilities. She eventually decided that she would never go by her birth name again. “I felt like I didn’t know Jennifer, the girl who endured years of abuse, but I do know Cricket. She’s a creative, upbeat and well-rounded individual”. Now, as a mother herself, Cricket’s promise is to create a family legacy built on love and security.
“What happened to me will end with me.”
