Elizabeth Smart is not looking back, said Melinda Rogers in The Salt Lake Tribune. It’s been eight years since Smart was found in the city of Sandy, Utah, after having been abducted from her home at age 14 by Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. Held prisoner for nine months, she was repeatedly raped by Mitchell, who claimed to be “the voice of God on Earth.’’ This week, Smart faced her captor for the first time since she escaped, when Mitchell was sentenced for his crimes. “The most wonderful thing about it is that it will finally be over,” she said beforehand.
A dedicated Mormon who recently returned from an 18-month mission to France, she’s entering her final year at Brigham Young University, and is contemplating going to law school. She’s also received a $50,000 grant to set up a foundation to teach kids how to resist abductions. “Right now, I’m just sort of staying open and not closing any doors. I want to go where I can do the most good and make the biggest difference. Time will tell.” She feels a debt of gratitude. “So many people did so much for me and my family. I could never say thank you enough.”
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