Hapke Relates to 'Orphan Train'

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 14, 2016) Holly Hapke, senior lecturer at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics, has a special relation to the Common Reading Experience (CRE) book, "Orphan Train," by Christina Baker Kline. Hapke stayed in the foster system herself until after high school graduation.

Born in Lewiston, Idaho, on a Native American reservation, Hapke grew up with three siblings. At the age of 5, the family lived in a camper with no running water. One of the earliest memories Hapke holds is of her father coming in and out of the picture for many years.

At one point, Hapke's father returned to bring the children to his mother's house in Phoenix, Arizona, where they stayed for a few years. While living with their grandmother, the four children learned that their mother had been shot and had become paraplegic.

A few years later, Hapke and two of her siblings boarded a plane to visit their mother for the holiday season. What they did not know was that their mother did not plan to send them back. Hapke's mother and stepfather had saved enough money to move to a suburb in Texas.

While living in Texas, her stepfather became sexually abusive and started selling drugs out of their home. Running out of options, Hapke confided her circumstances to a close high school friend. Child Protective Services soon arrived and took the children.

Hapke attended a Christian college after high school. She would go to friends' homes on holiday breaks and devoted her time to studying and serving the community. While in college, Hapke found out that her mother had committed suicide. Any questions she had would remain unanswered.

After graduation, Hapke worked with Court Appointed Special Advocates, telling her story over and over, focusing on how she had found success. She also worked in the marketing department of a bank, which is how she came to teaching.

Hapke banks her success to her dedication to her education. She is convinced that education helped her break the chain of abuse.

Holly Hapke relates to "Orphan Train" more than most. Fighting the abuse she knew as a child, growing up in the foster care system, taking control of her own life, Hapke has become a foster success story.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Gail Hairston, 859-257-3302, gail.hairston@uky.edu