Rebecca Rose, the National Leaders Collective’s leader of the month, is a government student at Patrick Henry College (PHC). When Rose isn’t fighting for life, you can find her drinking coffee, preparing for mock trial rounds, or reading classic literature. In the future, she plans to work in the pro-life movement full-time in law, at a non-profit that seeks to educate about abortion, or in a public policy role. Learn more about Rose as she describes her activism below. 

In high school, I started a Students for Life group at my school and became a Thaddeus Stevens Fellow with Students for Life of America (SFLA). When it came time to apply to colleges, I looked for a school where I could continue my pro-life activism while growing in my faith and exploring my interests in politics and policy. I found PHC, which is a small Christian classical school in Northern Virginia, about 50 miles from Washington D.C. Once I had decided to attend Patrick Henry College, I applied for the Christian Leadership Fellowship with SFLA. For my fellowship project, I restarted a SFLA group that was once present on campus. PHC had a Students for Life group a few years ago, but it informally disbanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Even without a SFLA group on campus, students were hungry to get personally involved in the pro-life movement. The college also maintained its annual tradition of attending the National Pro-Life March. Because of PHC’s apprenticeship requirement, many students, between reading the classics and preparing for forensics tournaments, complete internships in the city. It allows them to actively gain experience leading and shaping the culture starting as early as college.  

Our group has been well received by the PHC community. Having a SFLA group active on campus provided a way for students to encourage each other in their activism, get involved, and share the pro-life message more explicitly. Our group has worked to provide opportunities for the entire student body to directly and meaningfully engage in pro-life causes in our community and in our nation’s capital.  

After launching the SFLA group, we had an Unplanned movie night, did an apologetics training with our regional coordinator, prayed on the sidewalk in front of a local abortion facility and lobbied on Capitol Hill. We partnered with multiple clubs on campus to host larger events, working with the American Politics and Policy Major to bring more than 50 students to the National March for Life and working with the Run Club to host a 5k race and fundraiser for Mosaic Virginia Pregnancy Resource Center.  

READ: ‘Unplanned’ Movie Shocks Student about the Reality of Abortion

PHC students were involved in multiple ways for the Supreme Court’s oral arguments of FDA vs. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine this March, some rallying in front of the court, some camping out for days in front of the court to reserve a space, some speaking at Alliance Defending Freedom’s rally, and some covering the event as journalists.  

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Having the support of the other Christian Leadership fellows, my fellowship director, and my mentor has made a huge difference as I’ve worked to get the group up and running again. Their prayers, advice, and encouragement were incredibly helpful throughout the year.  

I plan to continue pro-life activism after completing this fellowship by remaining involved in the leadership of PHC’s SFLA group, being a member of Students for Life’s SCOTUS Squad, and seeking ways to hold more discussions on campus that dive into the intricacies of pro-life policy and judicial decisions. I’m excited to continue pro-life activism and see what the future holds.  

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