It strikes me as a fundamental injustice that students at my college are unable to speak openly about abortion, sexual health, or anything considered to contradict Jesuit Catholic values.

Alicia is a Campus Organizer and a junior at Boston College.

In my first two years at Boston College (BC), I became more and more involved with activist issues on campus including women's issues, a pro-choice group, and eventually sexual health.  I simply grew concerned about how BC, as a Jesuit Catholic institution, ignored students' sexual health needs and concerns. Last year, I joined up with a group of students working with a grant from Americans for Informed Democracy to begin to take action on sexual health issues ourselves, including peer education and the availability of contraception and information.

I want to meet other young activists who are working toward similar goals of comprehensive sex education, etc. on their own campuses. I want to use these connections, as well as the training and other support we receive, in order to grow our efforts at BC and introduce students to the connected national and international issues.

Personally, I want to continue to grow my knowledge about sexual health and expand my awareness of other interconnected issues and how they play out among different people. Young people are the ones who are receiving (or not) sexual health education and are targeted for resources. Our youth is the best time to learn about sexual health and we must take charge of our futures now to see the benefits and be healthy later. As young people, our voices are important; even though society tends to give us the least power, we can make a difference. We can have the most influence over our peers and take control of our own lives.