Meet Carina! {Summer Intern Series}

I grew up in a very Catholic family and attended Catholic grade school and high school, where I was given the foundation to my pro-life beliefs. I went on the March for Life in Washington, D.C. three times during my high school career, but I don’t truly feel like I began my journey of being a pro-life leader until I joined Loyola Students for Life in the middle of my Freshman year. There, in Loyola University of Chicago's only group solely dedicated to the pro-life movement, I was given more knowledge on the tragedy of abortion.After LSFL’s general body meeting on ‘Feminism in the Pro-Life Movement’, I went back to my dorm with SFLI’s other summer intern, my friend Sarah Storto. As we were debriefing and talking over the different ideas related to the topics discussed at the LSFL meeting, a few of our pro-choice friends overheard us and we launched into an hour-long discussion covering all aspects of abortion. This was the first time that I actually felt challenged on my beliefs that I was so passionate about. Walking away from the conversation, I felt defeated and torn because for so long I had called myself pro-life, yet I couldn’t get through a conversation without “Googling” almost all of my answers to basic questions that were asked. It was then that I realized that I wanted to gain more knowledge to be able to defend my beliefs. The next day, I scheduled a meeting with my SFLI Campus Mentor, Anna Slater. She patiently answered all of my questions and presented me with lots of knowledge that I wasn’t familiar with. Leaving that meeting, I felt ready to advance my involvement and commitment to the pro-life movement. By the end of the semester, I was elected to be LSFL's Advertising/PR leader for the Fall semester of 2016. After a successful term, I was elected to be President of Loyola Students for Life from Spring 2017- Fall 2017. During Spring Break of 2017, Anna contacted me, asking if I would be interested applying to be a summer intern for SFLi and in living in Champaign this summer. At first, I was a little hesitant on taking the internship because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be away from home for two and a half months during my summer.  It also took a bit of convincing for my parents to be okay with me living farther away from home, but I assured them that this is something that I am truly passionate about. The more that I thought about it, the more I felt that this is an opportunity that I couldn’t pass. This internship will be a great way for me to do some research without interfering with school work or other commitments during the year. I will be able to also serve Loyola and the greater Chicagoland community better by having done more to better my understanding and knowledge of resources.  I always wanted to make an impact in the world and I feel that by doing pro-life work, I am making a difference. I have the ability to inspire others and change the way people think about the pro-life generation.Looking ahead to the tasks expected of me for this summer, I believe that I will get a lot out of this internship. I will be pushed to be the best pro-life leader that I can be. My skills will be put to the test when I am asked to go out on the street and talk to people about all the things that I have learned over the past two years. I want to be able to talk about my beliefs more confidently and be able to provide my peers with as many resources as possible if they find themselves or someone they care about in a crisis situation.Looking back, I can see a huge difference from where I was when I first found interest in the pro-life movement to where I am currently. I am thankful to have this opportunity to work with the awesome, dedicated SFLI staff. I look forward to learning and growing in my pro-life beliefs, in addition to working on my skills as a pro-life leader throughout this summer and upcoming year!Carina Greico is a summer intern with Students for Life of Illinois. She is entering her junior year at Loyola University of Chicago with a double major in Psychology and Theology and a minor in Catholic Studies.