Facing 5,000 human skulls in a Rwandan village devastated by genocide, Carolyn Walsh '10 alternatively cringed and became more determined to continue her fight against such atrocities.
"Being a good citizen means recognizing that you have a responsibility toward others," she said.
Carolyn's latest endeavor will take shape on November 15 with a Walk for Women at LC to draw attention to rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as right here at home. Participants will be asked to wear signs like, "I'm running for the fifth woman who will be raped today," or "I'm running for the 127th victim of rape in the DRC." They will also have a competition to see who can carry water on their heads in large jugs, a time when African women are most susceptible to rape. Modest entry fees will raise funds for The City of Joy, a center for women seeking refuge in the DRC, as well as for local organizations working with women who have been victims of abuse.
This is not an academic exercise for Carolyn, who has seen suffering up close. One of LC's founding members of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition, she had the chance to travel to Africa in the summer of 2008 with LC professor Dr. Todd Olsen. They worked with Sports Outreach, a Lynchburg-based organization that reaches out to young people in central Africa, primarily through soccer.
In Kenya, they visited an HIV support group for women and did a feeding program at a school. In Uganda, they visited the four main slums of the capital city of Kampala, as well as schools and soccer programs. And in Rwanda, they visited the genocide memorial in the capital city of Kigali where Carolyn came face to face with the skulls.
Carolyn was also one of two students who disappeared from class for a week near the end of last spring semester along with Angela Massino '11 to draw attention to the "Invisible Children," children abducted in northern Uganda who are forced to become soldiers and commit unspeakable atrocities to survive.
"Abducted children never return to school," Carolyn noted. "Imagine what all these kids have lost." She figured missing a week of class was the least she could do to draw attention to their plight.
Growing up in Wayland, Mass., Carolyn said her parents always talked about topics like wasting food and shunning diamonds. In high school, she studied the Rwandan genocide, which claimed as many as 800,000 to 1 million lives, and couldn't believe what she was learning. And then came Darfur.
An international relations major, Carolyn felt compelled to draw attention to Darfur when she arrived on campus and helped launch STAND. She is also a member of LC's chapter of Amnesty International. She took on the job of being the campus representative of TOMS, a shoe company that donated a pair of shoes to a needy child for each pair purchased.
Carolyn's passion for children also extends to those with special needs. She was one of the students who traveled to St. Lucia in the spring of 2008 in the College's first study abroad program to focus on volunteer service.
A member of Westover Honors Program, Carolyn said her trip to Africa sealed her commitment to those less fortunate. "I just came back so much more passionate," she said, adding that she realizes life here is not hard. "I have all my family members. I have all my limbs. Overall, I have a sense of feeling grateful for everything."