Marching For Something Bigger Than Ourselves

This year marks my fourth March for Life, yet it amazes me every time.Every time is different, more impactful, and a renewal of my convictions. It leaves me hopeful for what the movement will experience in the future.Quite often, being pro-life on a college campus can make a student feel alone; that everyone is against you. But surrounded by 650,000 others advocating for life is moving and affirming. With a new president who considers himself pro-life, it is the dawn of a new term - four years of pro-life policy potential.There is hope.This year, I had the opportunity to be one of the March for Life coordinators for my campus. This year we were blessed to have 27 students from the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign attend. Being a coordinator grew my pro-life commitment more than I ever anticipated. For every student traveling to Washington D.C. for the first time: I was brought back to my first march.I was living through the next generation of pro-life students who will be there after I graduate. I marched with the future march for life coordinators, convicted, inspired, and unapologetic pro-life leaders, and peers who I know will build a culture of life wherever they are.  With every twinkle of an eye, smile, tear, cheer, shout, and step I witnessed a fire within each student as they were marching for something bigger than themselves. There is something beautiful to know that I was a part of that. Less than six months ago, I offered to God my career goals that I had had for the past eight years. I gave Him 100% control of my life. In that short time, I have worked with Illini Collegians for Life and Students for Life of Illinois. I was an SFLI intern, coordinated the March for Life, and I know God is not yet done. The march is a manifestation that I not only have this year left of college to make an impact, but the rest of my life to continue to fight for the right to life wherever I go in whatever I do.