A DC Weekend

Wilmington College offers students many ways to get involved, not only on campus, but also out there in the real world, dealing with real issues. An example of this happened over the weekend. Two freshmen took advantage of the opportunity to go to Washington DC and attend the National STAND Conference. STAND is the student led division of GI-Net, an anti-genocide coalition/network. They stayed in a hotel only a few blocks away from the Capitol Building, and attended break-out sessions and workshops teaching everything from the truth and facts about the genocides happening now to how to market awareness events and how to help refugees. They heard a wide range of speakers including John Pendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, Carl Wilkens, the only American to remain in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, refugees from Sudan and Burma and the Congo, and even Olympic athletes who advocate the cause. On the final day of the conference, they also participated in an anti-genocide march on the Capitol. As well as attending the conference, they were also able to explore DC, seeing the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Building, the White House, and the Holocaust Memorial Museum to name a few. They also had the opportunity to connect with fellow students across the country who were fighting for the same issues. Would you believe it gets better? It does; it was completely free of charge for them! SGA & the campus STAND organization paid for transportation, hotel charges and even meals! And they had a blast! Wilmington College wants their students to exceed; take advantage of all the opportunities they offer!