Kumari Shreya
Among the various stories shared in Netflix’s ‘Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare,’ the account shared by Amber Michelle truly was heart-wrenching. The former “trainee” at the Pacific Coast Academy not only confessed everything that had happened to her as a part of her punishment but also the even darker consequences that it all led to. Her bravery and determination to tell her story to the world have earned her the praise of many as the world wonders just what she is up to these days.
Who is Amber Michelle?
Amber Michelle was one of the many teenagers sent to the Pacific Coast Academy, which claimed to be a place for helping teenagers with perceived behavior issues. When she came to Samoa as a part of the program in March 2000, she was 14 years old. While there, she met Kurt, whom she had first met in Costa Mesa, California, and Amber found some relief in the fact that she already knew someone in this unknown place.
However, only a few months later, Amber apparently found herself in a very physically taxing punishment. In the Netflix documentary, she shared how she was told she would be going into “isolation” as a punishment for her seemingly not cleaning up tables properly. When she refused to undergo the punishment, she was tied down by four other students. One of the more traumatizing details of this particular incident for Amber was allegedly the fact that Kurt was one of those who had tied her up.
Following her being tied up, Amber was apparently also doused with water multiple times. Amber was allegedly tied up for two days, after which she was taken to a place called “The Vow” for isolation. The area she was sent to was apparently a village where she was the first ever girl to be sent. She claimed that the chief of the village, called Chief Tui, had sexually abused her. She then added how she complained about it to people at the Academy but was not believed. Instead, her stay at the village was extended as an added punishment.
About 16 months after her time in Samoa, Amber shared her account in a video that later made its way to the US Embassy in the country. However, when the officials did come to check up on exactly what was going on at the Academy, Amber was in a bit of disbelief as she could not assimilate the idea that someone cared enough to come to help them all. She was especially in disbelief that someone had cared about her enough to help her out, something that still brings tears to her eyes.
Amber Michelle Prefers a Quiet Life Today
Though Amber Michelle’s appearance in the Netflix documentary is quite moving, it seems that she prefers to lead a private life for the most part. The former Pacific Coast Academy “student” does seem to have a good support system. In fact, when trying to share her traumatic story, she is even seen gesturing to someone outside the frame, commenting how she knew that “he” did not like to hear this particular story. Recounting this particular story did seem like an easy endeavor for Amber, which only made her actually doing so even more impressive.
While her fellow Pacific Coast Academy member Kurt expressed hope that Amber probably did not hold his actions against him, the lady in question expressed that she felt betrayed by his actions, wondering why he could not have simply said “no” to the things that he was being asked to do in order to hurt her. The Netflix documentary is certainly not the first time that Amber has shared her story since her first attempt to tell the world largely contributed to bringing an end to her stay in Samoa.
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