On Friday April 12, 2019 in the Ohio Union, I had the opportunity to do service for those attending the AIDS Memorial Quilt Conference. Initially, when I had signed up to do service for this event, I had no idea what to expect. I had been excited because I, in the past, only participated in service directly related to either my major or International Affairs. This service event had exceeded my expectations more than I ever thought it could.

After spending about a half day at the conference, I came to understand not only the importance of this event, but how this it related to the topic of International Affairs and the human population as a whole. I started working at the welcome booth on the third floor of the union where I encouraged people to sign in and directed them to the 3 separate rooms each showing different quilts. After previewing the rooms themselves, I had come to understand that the quilts commemorated those that had passed away from AIDS. Each patch represented a different person detailed with the state they were from, usually, things they enjoyed as well as their hobbies and other interests. I felt as though I had been only a small help due to the fact that this event was put on by a group of caring driven and extremely organized people. I had only been welcoming people and directing them to specific rooms, at first, however, it was about one hour in that I realized that it did not matter how large or small my time spent at the conference was. What made me feel so at home were the people visiting their loved ones’ patch on the quilts, which I knew must be such a mix of strong emotions in general. However, each and every single person I greeted thanked me for being there. It almost felt like they were allowing me to be a part of this special memorial of their loved ones. I was so grateful to come in contact with the families and friends of those being celebrated and it was then that I felt I had been involved in something so much bigger than myself.

Next, I had changed shifts. It had been my responsibility to be a quilt monitor and make sure everything had been going well in the round room as well as prohibit people from being food or drink inside. I had been monitoring this room for the rest of my time at the conference. Again, I was able to meet the sweetest most compassionate people who so cared for their loved ones and allowed me to take part in this emotional experience. I remember a group of about 10 people, friends and family of a member on the quilt, had all been embracing each other and crying as they remembered their loved ones. It was so touching and I felt honored to be allowed to witness such vulnerable moment in someone else’s lives.

Overall, the importance of this event and its relationship to International Affairs revolves around the issue of bringing awareness to those who may not have information about illnesses others deal with around the world and taking measures to prevent these illnesses. For example, whilst working the welcome table I was told to encourage people to take condoms provided by the organization. Additionally, the organization provided free testing in order to encourage people to be knowledgeable about the risks of unsafe sex and to be comfortable with their sexual health. While I have never met someone who has dealt with HIV or AIDS, I do understand, after working this event, how critical it is for us to understand and be educated about matters that don’t just immediately affect our lives but all of humanity.