Audrey Ross '02
Eastern Pennsylvania Organizer, Million Mom March
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
If I help one kid think twice about picking up a loaded gun, I may have saved a life.
When I was growing up,two incidents occurred that will stay with me forever.
A friend picked up a loaded gun that his father left on the kitchen counter. The gun went off and hit his best friend above the left eye. Mike died later that night. He was 14 years old.
Three years later, some kids were trying to get away from gang members at my high school. Sitting in class, I heard gun shots through the open windows. One boy, like me from a nice, middle class suburb, was hit in the head and killed right there in our school parking lot.
As you might expect, I consider preventing gun violence an important issue. This made Guilford, with its emphasis on social activism, ideal for me. Inspired to get involved, I now work as the Eastern Pennsylvania organizer with the Million Mom March and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. My job entails networking, training and group presentations.
In our gun awareness workshops held in public schools, we see kids with all different backgrounds and have to earn their trust. After discussing our experiences with guns, then statistics and violence prevention, we get the kids involved by writing anti-violence rap songs or brainstorming ideas on conflict resolution.
Not surprisingly, some of my favorite classes at Guilford were in peace & conflict studies. Others sparked my interest in different issues like sex education. For example, in "Introduction to American Politics," we did a group project on improving North Carolina's sex education curriculum. Even as a student, I learned that you can make an impact in any area.
It's all about making a difference and Guilford made me believe I could. Along with the values of peace and nonviolence, that belief will always be part of my career, and my life.
Graduating from a socially active, writing-intensive college, students like Audrey leave with the ability to analyze a situation and communicate their ideas effectively. It's impossible to successfully complete any class at Guilford without skillfully sharing your thoughts and opinions.