Meet Mary Jo!
“I know this now. Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and yet they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it and then it’s gone. But to surrender what you are and to live without belief is more terrible than dying - even more terrible than dying young.”- St. Joan of Arc
Belief is the lens through which I live my life, and action my mode of focus.When I thought about this summer I knew that I was almost 20, still hadn’t been out of the country or on a mission trip, and others might say I “should be worried about money and paying off college loans.”But I also knew (as I have for a while now) that Human Rights Activism is where God is directing my life, and where I find the most joy, passion, and determination for work. So, I decided to aim for a valuable summer experience in pro life work, and I could not be more pleased to be working with Students for Life of Illinois. The values and virtues I’ll foster with SFLI this summer are an investment into so many parts of my present life, and I know that they will shape my future into something more beautiful and worthy as well.In the past year, I co-founded and led University of Nebraska-Lincoln Students for Life. Since then, we’ve recruited 30 or so strong members who are certified in dialogue and do outreach on campus. Having a pro life presence on campus is so important - almost 50% of abortions are procured by college-aged women!This is also why I am leading our Pregnant on Campus Initiative for UNL next year; a focused effort to provide support, resources, and legal rights for student parents on a college campus. I firmly believe that our generation must not simply “stop” Planned Parenthood, but in fact we need to be providing women in our country with better healthcare in its place!Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I continue on my way - and keep reading here to see the projects and ideas I will be working on this summer!Mary Jo Carney is a Summer Intern with Students for Life of Illinois. She studies Psychology with a minor in music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.