De La Salle Collegiate took 38 students to last week's March for Life rally in Washington, D.C.

Juniors Vince Motowski and Billy Boulus were among the students who made the trip. They shared their thoughts about the experience with the entire student body prior to Monday's all-school liturgy to celebrate Catholic Schools Week.

Below are their speeches:

Hello everyone!

Billy and I would like to just take a couple minutes to talk about our experience at the March for Life event our school ventured on this weekend. Thirty-eight juniors and seniors traveled down to Washington D.C Thursday night to participate in this protest against both the practice and legality of abortion. Half a million people across the country came together with one like-minded goal of eradicating the murder of our unborn.

I, personally, had one of the best experiences of my life this weekend, marching with my brothers, for something we are all so passionate about. The ecstatic energy amongst the city gave hope for the common good of our nation. Seeing the thousands of people walking the streets gave me a sense of belonging as I knew I was doing something good here. I was also surprised by how many vested priests were walking the city and the large presence of the Catholic youth.

The march itself was filled by a majority of high school students and young leaders. As the initial rally had finished, we began to march down Constitution Avenue. Many outlets were set up at the beginning of the street to hand out signs for people to hold during the protest. Everyone amongst the event was so loving and friendly that I almost felt like I did this before, even though it was my first time. The people around us walked with purpose and we could all feel the positive energy surging through the streets. We wrapped the march up in front of the Supreme Court Building and got some free time to explore the rest of the city before we went to our hotel for the night.

Now, at some point, we must acknowledge that simply talking about an issue is not enough and it never will be… it is absolutely essential that people of society take action, which De La Salle displayed greatly this weekend. Of course, the whole idea of having this march is that we don't have to do it next year, but so long as abortion continues, I highly recommend this trip to every student in this building for it can really change your world view for the better.  

I would like to thank Mr. Berlin, Mr. Gerardi, Mr. Dean, Mr. Mukhtar and everyone in the De La Salle community who allowed my classmates and me to make long-standing memories. Now we're gonna have Billy Boulus talk more about sightseeing and activities we did outside of the march... Thank you guys again!

The March for Life was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

Our first stop was at Capital One Arena. We were blessed to see Juan Diego’s Torque in person. This was the same cloak that the Blessed Virgin Mother put her image on. The next stop was at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. The nun next to me from Chicago told me how the Church was built by Irish stonemasons. These Irishmen were also the same people who built the White House and Capitol Building.

After mass, we headed to the Ronald Reagan Building to eat lunch. While on our way there, we were stopped by a raspy-voiced man in a white truck. This enthusiastic man appeared to be LSU’s head Coach Orgeron. He made himself known by repeatedly saying, “Go Tigas.” His distinct voice made it clear to everyone that this was the actual head coach Ed Orgeron who recently won the CFP National Championship a week and a half ago.

Soon after our stop at the Reagan Building, we headed to the National Mall, where President Donald Trump was scheduled to be the first president to give a speech at the March for Life. The number of people who attended this event was insane. By the time Trump took the stage, the entire plot of land was filled with over 50,000 people. The Secret Service would not let anyone else in, so thousands more were gathered outside. The president gave inspiring remarks such as, “unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House.”

As our group left the National Mall early to attend the march, I saw mothers carrying signs that either showed that they were happy to not have an abortion, or they regret their abortion. This made me realize that Pro-Lifers came to this event not only to see Trump, but to end abortion immediately.

After the march, I reflected on how my day went. I thought about how I got the chance to see Coach Orgeron and the president on the same day. 

Saturday was the last day before we came back to Michigan. Our group leaders decided to take us to the Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. We met two soldiers who previously fought for the United States. Both of them were awarded the Purple Heart for being injured in battle. One of these soldiers was shot in the face by the enemy from a few feet away. His ability to still talk to us was inspiring. He taught us that “even when life throws you on the ground, you’ve gotta get off your butt and keep going.''

After the soldiers talked to us, they took us to the grave of Sergeant Nicholas A. Spritsnoff. He was from Davison, Michigan. He passed away on September 28, 2011. He identified a bomb or IED and made sure the area was clear before he attempted to defuse it. Once he protected the soldiers, tragically, the device exploded and killed him. Sgt. Spritsoff was awarded the Silver Star.

After his story was told, I realized that he put his life before others on my ninth birthday. I can vividly remember passing out pink-frosted sprinkled doughnuts to my third-grade classmates.

One of the main messages that were expressed that day was that American soldiers fight in countries they are not familiar with, and for people, they do not know. People such as Sgt. Spritsoff who fought for our freedom so we can be able to attend events such as the March for Life.

The March for Life was a truly fantastic experience. This event showed me that Americans of all colors and backgrounds can express their beliefs for the sake of human rights. I would like to thank everyone who planned this trip including Ms. Ragona, and I’m thankful for the Dads Club and the Christian Brothers Auxiliary for sponsoring us. Thank you also to Mr. Gerardi, Mukhtar, Berlin, and Dean for taking us to Washington D.C. All of you have empowered us to stand up for our beliefs and strengthened our Catholic faith. I know that everyone who attended will remember this experience forever.  

In the famous words of Alexander Hamilton, “When you stand for nothing, you fall for everything.”