India Rice, one of the National Leaders Collective’s (NLC) leaders of the month, is a Students for Life of America (SFLA), Standing With You Fellow attending Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi.  Learn more about Rice’s activism below.   

I am involved with the pro-life movement because I believe that all life is valuable. I grew up going to work with my mom at a Pregnancy Help Center (PHC), and I have been going to Walks for Life for as long as I can remember. I have always known that abortion was wrong, and I wanted to help women who were in crisis. I don’t want to just hold a belief quietly; I want to actually live it out. This movement lets me stand up for the most vulnerable and gives others the dignity and value they already have. Whether it’s through conversations, events, or supporting women in need, it gives me a way to live my values every day and help build a culture where every person is seen and valued!  

This year has really been my first big step into leadership through the Standing With You Fellowship. I first heard about it at a networking event at SFLA’s National Pro-Life Summit, and I knew I wanted to grow as a campus leader. Since then, I’ve learned so much, not just about the movement itself, but about what it really takes to build a strong group. I’ve worked on strengthening our team of officers and learned how important it is to delegate rather than trying to do everything myself. Planning events has also taught me how to balance details with vision, and how to bring people together around a mission bigger than any one of us. Being part of this fellowship has pushed me to grow in confidence and leadership, and I feel like I’m just getting started.  

This month has been so exciting for our group. We attended our local PHC’s annual banquet together, which was a great way to connect with the wider pro-life community and be encouraged by their work. Our group even got to meet David Bereit! On campus, we hosted a prayer gathering, praying for all lives, and inviting others to join us in that mission. We also set up our “What Makes You Valuable” tabling event, which opened the door for so many conversations about dignity and worth. We also filmed a short documentary about how abortion is still accessible in Mississippi and showed how easy it was to order Chemical Abortion Pills online. 

One of the most significant impacts, though, has been the growth of our pro-life community. We’ve grown our GroupMe from about 20 members to nearly 100, which shows just how much momentum and excitement there is on our campus for the pro-life movement.  

This experience has already pushed me to step up as a leader and helped me see how much impact we can have when we work together. I can’t wait to keep empowering students on campus and make the pro-life movement stronger than ever! 

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