Elizabeth Smart speaks of trials and gratitude at USU

Elizabeth Smart was 14 years-old when she was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City home 2002 and held captive for nine months. Today, nearly 10 years after her rescue, she came to Utah State University to speak during common hour.

Many students waited in line early to secure a seat in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom, which was seated to capacity.

“We filled the ballroom and there were about 800 people in the lounges,” said Luke Ensign, the director of Art’s and Lectures for Utah State University, who organized the event.  “I think it’s probably one of the biggest speeches USU has ever seen.”

Early in her talk, Smart said the news reports of abducted children she had seen prior to her own kidnapping all seemed the same.

“A week or a month after being kidnapped their bodies would show up,” Smart said. “And they would be able to tell from the marks on their bodies that they had been tortured, they had been raped and ultimately they had been murdered.”

On June 5, 2002, as her kidnapper took her from her bedroom and led her up the mountain behind her house, Smart said the danger of the situation occurred to her.

“I realized that’s what this man is going to do to me,” she said. “He’s going to rape me and he’s going to kill me.”

She said she decided it would be best to be killed closer to home in order for her parents to have at least one consolation.

“In my mind, I wanted my parents to know that I hadn't run away and I wasn't upset with them,” Smart said. “I wanted them to know that this was completely outside of anything I had chosen to do.”

At one point during their hike up the mountain she stopped her abductor and asked “If you’re just going to rape and kill me, could you please just do it here?”

This was not the first time Smart thought of other people’s peace of mind before her own.

Before being abducted she shared a bedroom with her little sister. When her kidnapper woke her with a knife pressed against her throat Smart obeyed his instructions, mostly in order to ensure he didn’t hurt her sister, she said.

Throughout the 9 month ordeal, Smart was at the mercy of her captors, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. She was raped by Mitchell many times, who told Smart she was now his wife hours after abducting her.

Smart said when she was reunited with her family after 9 months, her mother gave her the best advice she had ever received.

Smart said her mother told her “The best punishment you can give him is to be happy; to move forward and follow your dreams and do exactly what you want to do. By reliving what’s happened to you, that’s only giving him more power and more control over your life that he doesn’t deserve.’”

Her mother also told her that regardless of whether the punishment Mitchell receives during this life, God is the ultimate judge and justice will be served eventually.

Smart said though she didn’t enjoy it, she is grateful for the experience she had.

“It’s allowed me to go out, to make changes, and speak for so many children, men, and women who haven’t been able to speak for themselves yet. I’m so grateful it’s allowed me to make a difference,” Smart said. “You never know the difference that you can make. The difference only you can make because of what you’ve experienced.”

Several students remarked at how humbling Smart's gratitude was.

"It's really inspiring to see how people can overcome a huge trial in their life," said Nike Cleverly, a sophomore at Utah State. "I think that's really helpful for this age group to see in particular."

Alexa Lund, a sophomore at Utah State, said when she was a young girl and heard about Smart's story, she became afraid to spend the night at her friends' houses for fear of getting kidnapped.

"It was incredible to hear her story from her and talk about it without breaking into tears," said Alexa Lund. "To see that she's just like me but she was able to overcome a huge tragedy like that gives you so much hope."