Vanessa McNeal, a social work graduate, created a documentary called, “I AM.” The film tells the story of Vanessa McNeal, a young woman who overcame sexual abuse, a life in poverty and estrangement from her siblings and parents to find success in helping others.

McNeal said she got the inspiration to create her documentary while discussing how to share her life story with a friend, helping her realize she wanted to share her life experiences.

“After that talk, I had an epiphany. I realized that I had a story to tell, and by sharing that story I would be able to help other people overcome their obstacles in their lives. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I told my idea to my best friend Shontrelle Johnson, and he referred me to two filmmakers that he worked with,“ McNeal said.

Mike Phipps and Quinton Wayne, two filmmakers who own the production company, PLVTOS, located in the Ames and Des Moines area, helped create McNeal’s documentary.

“[They] were the masterminds behind the creative and editorial process. They are creative geniuses and they helped me manifest my vision I had for this documentary,” said McNeal.

The documentary took six months to create because it was the first documentary the team had ever worked on.

“My role was to simply tell my story, and their role was to make it visually and emotionally appealing to the audience,” said McNeal. “I have always known that my purpose in life was to help other people and this was the biggest way I have been able to touch other people’s lives.”

McNeal expressed how emotionally and mentally draining creating the documentary was reliving her past traumas. However, overwhelming support was given from friends and strangers alike.

“I never would have been able to imagine how big it ended up becoming. I have had so many doors open since the release and my hope is to continue to do so. My goal is to become a public speaker in the local, state and national level,” said McNeal.

McNeal is now attending UNI focusing her graduate studies on survivors of sexual abuse, sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence and suicide.

“I want to start conversations that are hard to start and I want to be an advocate,“ McNeal said.

You can find the documentary online by going to youtube.com and typing in I Am – By Vanessa McNeal.