An award winning documentary filmmaker and public speaker will be at the Panorama High School Auditorium on Wednesday. Vanessa McNeal will give a presentation on facing adversity and empowerment at 6pm. McNeal has been known to address other sensitive topics including sexual violence, social change, and leadership.

McNeal, a sexual assault survivor, was the first in her family to graduate high school. She went on to obtain her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and her master’s in social work from the University of Northern Iowa. She founded McNeal Media in 2017, with the goal of creating social change through the art of storytelling. She is also the director and producer of the documentary “The Voiceless,” which features stories of male survivors of sexual violence. She is currently directing “Gridshock” which is a documentary investigating the growing sex trafficking industry in Iowa.

McNeal is also a previous recipient of the YWCA “Woman of Tomorrow” award, receiving the honor in 2017.