At just 9 years old, Ava Najafi lost her mother to cancer and was left to navigate life with an alcoholic father. By 11, she had turned to smoking and drinking to cope. Three years later, her childhood was shattered again when she was sexually assaulted for the first time.

By 17, Najafi says she made “the worst mistake of my life” — a mistake that ended with the death of 19-year-old Cyndell Rodriguez.

Now 21 and incarcerated, Najafi is fighting not only to rebuild her life but to push for a law that gives teens and emerging adults a chance to grow and move forward.

“We all have stories,” she told lawmakers on Tuesday. “We were not born bad or unfixable.”

Read more: Once condemned to die in prison, dozens of inmates are being freed. Second chance — or nightmare?

Najafi pleaded guil

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