EDITORIAL: Riley Shaw: An inspiring story of bravery, resilience

Published 10:00 am Monday, February 27, 2023

Riley Shaw has accomplished a great deal in her 18 years. The Baker High School senior’s roster of activities is exhausting just to read — a list that represents hundreds of hours of effort in athletics, academics and more.

But Riley’s achievements, considerable though they are, simply can’t compare with just one of her attributes.

Bravery.

After enduring childhood trauma that is for most people difficult to imagine, Riley has not only refused to let the experience define her, but she has used it as a motivation to become the sort of person all parents hope their children will be.

For about four years, between the ages of 8 and 11, Riley was sexually abused by her father in Baker City.

He was sentenced last week to 28 years in prison.

The Baker City Herald, following its longtime policy, did not name Riley as the victim in many stories about the criminal case.

But on the day following the sentencing, Riley, after talking with her mother, Jolynn, agreed to talk publicly.

Riley said she did so because she hopes her story will inspire others who have suffered at the hands of abusers.

Undoubtedly it will.

But Riley’s selfless decision can do much more.

Her resilience offers a compelling lesson to anyone who has struggled, even if the source wasn’t as horrific as the abuse Riley endured.

Riley, who is the senior class president at BHS, yearbook editor and mock trial team captain — and that’s just a sampling — wants to be high school English teacher.

Given the determination she has demonstrated, it seems all but certain she will realize that goal as she has so many others.

And it’s easy to imagine that she will be an exemplary teacher.

Besides helping her students to learn, Riley will have an immense capacity for empathy. It’s a trait she came by in the worst way imaginable, but one that is all the stronger as a result.