In September of my freshman year at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Illinois, I was watching Kristen Hawkins debate a pro-abortion activist on YouTube. I don’t recall exactly what they were debating about, but I remember pausing the video and filling out the paperwork to start a Students for Life group at my college. Before that, I had been involved in the pro-Life movement. I had attended the National Pro-Life March and had spoken with my peers about this human rights injustice. However, after watching that debate, I knew I had to get more committed to defending the defenseless.

By February 2025, our club had been chartered. Since then, we have gained 15 active members. More students have expressed that they would like to be involved, but they’re scared that by coming to a meeting, they will be ostracized by their peers and have a target put on their back. This fear only confirms that a pro-life voice is needed on campus.

Before starting my own Students for Life group, I had very little leadership experience. But what I lacked in experience, I made up for in passion. I believe defending preborn babies is what I was put on this Earth to do. Soon after starting the group, I was accepted into the National Leaders Collective’s Founders Fellowship. The idea of training with some of the top leaders in the movement was overwhelmingly exciting. The NLC is paramount for young pro-life leaders to gain confidence in leadership skills and defending their position.

Thanks to the NLC, I have gotten to work with powerful pro-life role models such as Lydia Taylor Davis and Kristan Hawkins. One of the most beneficial parts of the NLC was meeting leaders from across the country. Hearing about the challenges they faced and overcame on their campus was encouraging. Throughout the year, I got a lot out of the bi-monthly Zoom meetings in which we discussed books like “Persuasively Pro-Life” by Trent Horn. The confidence I gained from the NLC allowed me to more effectively lead my club and be a better advocate.

In the Fall 2025 semester, we hosted Fostered Futures: Celebrating Success, an event highlighting the positive stories of the foster care system. During countless debates, I have heard students argue that abortion should be allowed because many children will just end up in foster care, implying that that fate is worse than death. We got tired of hearing this argument and decided it was time to change the narrative. We also hosted a toy drive to help foster families before Christmas. When the spring came along, we hosted an event titled Debunk, Debar, Defund Planned Parenthood, as well as a diaper drive. We donated all proceeds to a local Pregnancy Center.

The NLC helped me to strengthen my outreach abilities. I learned how to more effectively use social media to advocate for pro-life policies. Our school is not always the most accepting of our pro-life presence, and we faced various challenges like signs being torn down and tabling events being disrupted. Thankfully, Students for Life has been an incredible resource when dealing with backlash from peers and faculty. This upcoming year, I’m excited to hold a Student Spokesperson position so I can continue spreading the pro-life message. It’s undeniable that this message is already spreading and that the Pro-Life Generation is ready to finally abolish abortion.