This is a season of heightened political activism for Americans everywhere, and the Siena community is no exception. The past few days have seen Saints attending the presidential inauguration, local and national Women's Marches and the national March for Life.
Michael Bove ’19, attended the inauguration of President Trump on January 20. He was in the nation’s capital as part of an Envision student leadership conference.
Bove has been interested in politics and government since middle school; when the chance came to be part of this conference he jumped at it. He and students from around the world attended workshops on communication, creative thinking and developing leadership skills, and listened to speakers such as Carly Fiorina, Colin Powell, Spike Lee and Abby Wambach.
“It is difficult for me to explain what is was like to be on the National Mall for such an historic and awe-inspiring event,” Bove wrote in a paper for his political science class. “One thing that stood out for me is that even after such a divisive campaign I was able to have respectful discussions with fellow college students about policy.”
He wrote of a discussion about support for Trump that went on for an hour and “never once did it break down into name-calling or slander. That was a refreshing escape from what was all too evident in this most recent election cycle.”
The day after, Siena students Felicia Peterson ’17, Meghan Blasig ’17 and Griffin Doyle ’17 headed to downtown Albany for one of the many March for Women events held around the world January 21. Other Siena community members attended the national march and their local events.
“The march was an empowering event for concerned individuals who want to retain the social progress our nation has made over the past 10 years,” said Blasig. “What I enjoyed the most was that this was a peaceful protest that had zero hate speech or rhetoric. We were proud to have been a part of this movement.”
The Albany rally attracted hundreds of local residents, from small children to senior citizens.
A week after the inauguration, Maeve McCollouch ’17 and 18 other students from the Siena for Life club took a chartered bus to Washington with Fr. Larry Anderson, OFM, Siena’s chaplain, for the annual March for Life on January 27.
"I support women's rights and want to protect those rights, but I also think that ultimately we need to protect life in all its forms," she said.
In addition to advocating for the unborn, the Siena for Life club also does community outreach such as tutoring younger students and packing meals for the homeless.
"We are concerned with all ethical life issues, and human dignity for all," said McCullouch.
