Twenty-six University of Alabama students participated in the March for Life and Students for Life of America national conference. With an attendance of more than 2,600 students, the event served as the largest pro-life youth conference in the world.

At the conference, the Bama Students for Life was recognized as Group of the Year.

“I was cautiously optimistic that we had a chance. It was a beautiful and joyful surprise to be named Group of the Year,” said Claire Chretien, president of Bama Students for Life.

Despite the record low temperatures, people came from all across the country to rally for the pro-life movement. The University of Alabama students were not the only representatives of the state. Auburn University homecoming queen Molly Anne Dutton had the honor of sharing her life story with the activists.

Students for Life of America is the national organization that oversees nearly 800 anti-abortion student groups.

“The award recognizes the all-around excellence of one pro-life student group who demonstrated success in areas of campus activism, recruitment, community involvement and pregnancy resources,” said Brendan O’Morchoe, national SFLA director of field operations.

“So often the work we do is vilified. This recognition gives students the courage and motivation to keep going for another year,” Chretien said.

“The primary focus of our group is to give and effect a change. It’s really not at all about our personal benefit. Any benefit we receive is secondary,” said Elizabeth Rust, BSFL vice president.

Seeing The Group of the Year award going to a Southern university was eye-opening for many of the attendants at the SFLA conference.

“Our culture down here seems to be a little quieter about the issue, and it’s getting louder,” Rust said. “It is very telling that our pro-life group is the strongest in the country because we are not being quiet about it, even if the culture is silencing it.”