In My Own Words is an Indy Reads series where students tell their stories using their own authentic voice and words.
Kuirsel first joined Indy Reads in one of our Fast-Track High School Equivalency (HSE) classes in February 2025. They wanted to earn their HSE diploma in order to further their career and passion for healing for sexual abuse survivors. A survivor themselves, reader, and volunteer, Kuirsel just earned their High School Equivalency diploma in May 2025! Hear from Kuirsel in their own words below.
In My Own Words | Kuirsel K.
Where are you from?
“That is a complicated question. I was born in Indiana, but I have a pretty intensive childhood where I grew up over the span of Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. So, I kind of grew up here, but I bounced around so much that I feel like I grew up in all of those places.”
What was your education like as a child?
“I was homeschooled until sophomore year of high school. My homeschooling was very broken, but it was done through a passion to ensure that I was educated by my biological mother. During that time, I was going through some very insane things as a child. I was in a cult.
I came back to Indiana when I was 15 or 16 and I was put into a K-12 school called Hoosier Academies. It no longer exists. It was not a good school. My guidance counselor did not care. I went there with As, Bs, and Cs on my transcript. I had a thirst for learning. And then junior year, it was all Fs and Ds. Clearly something was wrong at home. But no one cared. I had just come back to society from the cult, but I had been so separated from the world, and I was just thrown into that school.
I struggled with math at Hoosier Academies because my biological mother struggled with math. But I was a history buff. I memorized all the presidents and stuff for no reason. I loved English. I had a building brain.
The charter school was really different. And all the trauma was piling on. I am autistic, have ADHD, and am neurodivergent. So, I realized I wasn’t a good test-taker. That system was not built for me. Every day, by junior year, I was either crying in class or head down and sleeping. No one checked in. By senior year I was flunking every class.
I felt like the only way to learn from my experience with education was that I made myself go to the graduation ceremony and watch my friends from the stands. I congratulated them all, and basically said, ‘I’m happy for you all. Nothing is going to stop me from moving forward.’ I felt like a system that failed me did not need my adherence to come back.”
Do you have a job?
“I left the service industry in 2024. My passion is in nonprofit work, specifically in healing for sexual abuse and trauma in masculine-presenting individuals and cismen. I volunteered for years in that space and then I worked for Step Up. They’re amazing. I worked in their CDC program, which is a temporary position where they collect data on different demographics for the CDC when it comes to HIV care and stuff. That sent me to Aspire Indiana Health. But they said that in order to be able to bill clients, they needed me to have a High School Equivalency diploma. So that was the moment where I went, ‘Okay. To do the work I’m passionate about, I have to go back to school.’ I do some pet-sitting and stuff, but I really wanted to focus on school before I went back full-time.”
How did you find Indy Reads?
“I was already aware of Indy Reads. I love you guys! I’m also good friends with Gya Torres (Indy Reads Program Associate). So I messaged her and said I was looking for my High School Equivalency diploma. That was in like September of 2024. I was talking to and testing with Chris Simmons (Indy Reads Student Services Manager), and then a few months later I jumped in with Drew (Indy Reads HSE Instructor).”
What was your first day of class with Indy Reads like?
“For class, we met virtually on Tuesdays and in-person on Thursdays. I missed like a class or two, but mostly we just met and reviewed stuff for the HiSET tests. I think Drew is amazing. They did a really good job of helping me grasp the knowledge. This whole experience helped me gain some introspection into my past and what I need. With my high school experience, I was so consumed with my childhood trauma that I didn’t really understand that I felt abandoned by public school, too.
At the end of classes with Indy Reads, I had passed everything but my math section. It wasn’t even the knowledge. She had done a great job of preparing me. But the testing: the timer, my brain and how it works, was really difficult. I failed that math section three times and passed on the fourth time. I only passed because I found a resource online that helped me to overcome my stress with the timer. I felt really consumed by that test-taking. In the future, I hope that Indy Reads is able to provide more resources to students like me who struggle specifically with the pressure of that timer.”
How do you feel now that you have earned your High School diploma?
“To be vulnerable and honest, I did not gain fulfillment by earning that diploma. I will be proud of what this diploma will let me do. I knew I passed as I was leaving the testing facility. And I felt some rage. I know why I need this; I know why I’m doing this. Everyone around me wanted to celebrate and was like, ‘Congratulations!’ But the education system failed me, so I feel some rage that I had to get back into that education system. Right now, it’s hard to feel pride. What I will feel pride for is the work that I will now be able to do with that diploma: helping survivors of sexual abuse with nonprofits and organizations. When you look at the future, I feel like there’s a chess game being played. And in chess, you’re not always happy with the middle moves that you make. But in the end, you’ll get the king. And I have that sense.”
What do you want your life to look like in five years?
“I’m one of many midwesterners who fell through the cracks of care and of notice. As a victim of sexual abuse, I have watched systems protect abusers. And I realized that my passion is in helping create a world where my niece, she’s 10, can grow up and see less victims. This diploma will open doors, in the world that I need to function in, to allow me to create a safer future for people. What this diploma does for me is that it gives me the opportunity to walk through those doors.”
Do you consider yourself a “reader”?
“Oh my god, yes! The book I’m reading now is The Free People’s Village by Sim Kern. In an alternate 2020 timeline, Al Gore won the 2000 election, declared a war on climate change rather than a war on terror, and has transformed US cities into a lush paradise for wealthy white neighborhoods. It’s a really cool concept!”
Do you have any advice for people who want to earn their HSE?
“You are valid before and after the decision to earn your high school diploma. I think people struggle with that. What you were doing before you tried to earn your high school diploma allowed you to get here. And that attitude will allow you to learn. I also wanted to add that I really appreciate what Indy Reads does. I believe in what y’all do; I appreciate what you have done; and I appreciate the support you give the community and gave to me.”