Those were the horrific words from a patient’s sister who stopped by P. Gay Baughman’s dental practice to deliver the tragic news several decades ago. 

“I was a young dentist at the time and didn’t know what to do when the patient told me during an appointment prior to her death that she’d been hit by her boyfriend, and ever since I’ve been trying to make amends for what happened,” said Baughman, a professor at the School of Dentistry.

Baughman now teaches dental students to look for signs of domestic partner abuse, educating them to ask questions of patients including whether they feel safe at home, and helping students understand what resources are available to get help quickly for individuals at risk.

Annually, Baughman and a group of dental students, including members of the student chapter of the American Association of Women Dentists, join with the PEACC Center in Take Back the Night activities, an effort to protest sexual and relational violence and honor those who’ve been victimized.

This year, UofL’s Take Back the Night events kick-off with a resource fair April 4 at the Kornhauser Library Auditorium on the Health Sciences Center Campus. Scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m., the event includes representation from the , , , , and . A workshop begins at noon and will educate participants on how to help a friend who has experienced power-based personal violence. The event also provides an opportunity to honor dental school alumna , who lost her life due to relational violence.

On April 6, a resource fair will be held at the Red Barn Plaza from noon to 2 p.m., followed by the “How to Help a Friend Workshop” at  2 p.m. in the Floyd Theater. Students, faculty and staff also are invited to take part in Chalk the Walk on the Belknap Campus beginning at 1 p.m. A virtual Take Back the Night tribute begins at 7 p.m. on Microsoft Teams. Learn more on the .

“If every student is equipped to help one person, what a difference that would make,” Baughman said.

UofL President Neeli Bendapudi will preside at the event, and Cynthia Schepers will be the student speaker.

Schepers, who is earning a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance (exercise science track), is a resident of Family Scholar House, a program serving disadvantaged youth and single-parent families pursing postsecondary education. After entering the foster care system at 13 and attending five high schools before graduating from North Bullitt High School, the Louisville native became homeless at 21 before connecting with Family Scholar House.

Schepers cited a National Foster Youth Institute statistic that said nationwide fewer than 3 percent of former foster youth graduate from a four-year college.

“I have shown so much resiliency throughout my college journey. I have experienced so many hardships. Despite all of them, I was still dedicated to becoming a part of that 3 percent,” Schepers said. “I’m going to be one of those foster kids who graduate to show other foster kids it’s possible.”

The graduate’s goal is to become a personal trainer working to provide low-cost services to former foster youths.        

“I would tell someone in my position to never give up. I think that you can do anything you put your mind to, and if that means getting resources and support from people, then that’s what you’ve got to do,” Schepers said. “There are so many people at UofL who just want to support you, so making sure that you’re taking advantage of that support that’s offered is crucial to succeeding.”

At commencement, graduating students and their guests should enter the center through the doors facing Main Street between Second and Third streets and allow extra time to go through security. All bags will be checked and should not be larger than 14-by-14 inches. Balloons are prohibited.

In addition to commencement at KFC Yum! Center, the UofL Graduate School will host a doctoral hooding and graduation ceremony at 2 p.m. on the same day. That ceremony will be on the Belknap Campus, Swain Student Activities Center Ballroom, Room W215.

Less than two years into school, however, new challenges emerged. In March 2015, Lee chose to pursue – and was granted – full custody of her niece Kailyn.

Despite the heartache of a custody battle with her sister, Lee recognized a troubling situation and knew it was the right decision.

“I decided that Kailyn’s best chances for living a healthy, constructive childhood that would influence her to set goals, reach success and to break the cycle of poverty, drug addiction and risky behaviors was for me to step in to give her a fair chance at life,” Lee said.

The move immediately improved Kailyn’s quality of life; however, it had an adverse effect on Lee.

Though fortunate to have a Cardinal Covenant scholarship – which covered her school expenses – the mental and financial strain weighed heavily with the new addition. Lee attempted to at least resolve one of those issues by taking a full-time position at Kroger to assist with the costs.

“I was 20 years old, working a lot of hours, taking full-time course loads in school, and was a single parent,” Lee said. “I struggled with asking for help when it came to anything because I was so used to doing everything for myself and not having much help. But once I became Kailyn’s full-time guardian, I had to reach out for extra support.”

With assistance from her family and the Family Scholar House program, Lee was able to regain her focus. But, because of the time commitment involved in her original plan (the dental hygiene program), she chose to make another major change. 

“I could not possibly continue with dental hygiene, work as much as I did and give Kailyn what she needed,” Lee said. “So, I made a sacrifice for both of us. In the end, I found that social work is my passion.”

Lee said through all of these changes, it has been rewarding to watch everything come together. On Friday, she will receive her bachelor’s degree in sociology, becoming the first of any of her siblings or parents to earn their bachelor’s degree.

Lee was also recently hired as a children services intake position at Cincinnati’s Hamilton County Children and Family Services.

In addition to her mom, stepdad, grandmother and inspiration from Kailyn, Lee credits her soon-to-be alma mater for helping her complete this journey.

“UofL has helped shape me into the person that I am today due to its ethics and acceptance that is preached throughout the campus,” Lee said. “The staff and faculty helped me find what I am passionate about – helping others and advocating for those who are under-served and less privileged than myself and others in our society. Without their assistance, I would not have been able to complete college as a single parent and a well-rounded, critical thinking woman who is ready to go out and spread some positive vibes all over this universe.”

Allen graduates Friday with honors from the University of Louisville. She’s prepared to enter the workforce while providing the life she wanted for her son. She overcame obstacles but admits she couldn’t do it alone — Allen had a great deal of support from UofL, the Family Scholar House and her father, along with inspiration from her 8-year-old son, Ben.

“Since he has been born, everything that I have done in my life is for him. And I knew I had to do whatever it took to keep a roof over his head.”

Learn more about her story: