Withelma âTâ Ortiz
Glamour Woman of the Year
Withelma âTâ Ortiz is a survivor leader and advocate. From the ages of 10-17 T survived being subjected to commercial sexual exploitation here in the united states, through Domestic Human Trafficking. T now uses her lived experiences to teach, lead, and educate on needed reforms to systems and existing services that often interface with youth who have been sexually victimized including the child welfare, juvenile justice and mental health systems. T has lectured at many venues including Georgetown Law, The TriBeca Film Festival, and the U.S. Senate. She has testified before members of Congress, and shared her story on a national level as one of GLAMOUR Magazine's 2011 Women of the Year. T currently serves on The National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council and is a Young Woman Leader and Member of the Board of Directors for the Human Rights Project for Girls Based in Washington, D.C. Her efforts are ongoing and continual, as she recently kicked off her College Campaign (TGoesToCollege2013) in an article featured by Nick Kristof in the New York Times Online and is working on Building her Own Non-Profit. She also serves daily as a motivational mentor to other girls who have been similarly forced into the modern day form of slavery.
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