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CHRIS JOHNSON
Friday, July 25, 2008
College
students
from
across
the
country
eager
to
start
careers
as
activists
descended
on
Washington
this
week
as
part
of
an
intercollegiate
gay
group’s
annual
leadership
camp.
Campus
Pride,
the
organization
putting
the
camp
together,
arranged
for
students
to
listen
to
panel
discussions
and
meet
with
national
gay
activist
leaders.
About
60
students
from
50
colleges
and
universities
participated.
Attendees
stayed
at
Towson
University
in
Towson,
Md.,
from
Saturday
to
Thursday
and
toured
Washington
Monday.
The
event
was
the
second
annual
leadership
camp
for
Campus
Pride.
Shane
Windemeyer,
executive
director
for
the
organization,
said
Campus
Pride
hosted
the
camp
to
“empower
and
enlighten”
young
leaders.
“The
lessons
learned
and
lifelong
friendships
developed
at
camp
are
the
most
valuable
way
to
invest
in
the
future
of
our
movement,”
he
said.
Students
heard
from
activists
such
as
Donna
Rose,
a
national
civil
rights
leader
and
transgender
advocate,
and
saw
entertainers
such
as
gay
singers
Jason
and
DeMarco.
Cornell
Woodson,
a
gay
21-year-old
senior
from
Ithaca
College,
said
he
participated
in
the
camp
to
become
more
informed
about
issues
affecting
the
gay
community.
“As
a
gay
male,
I
find
it
important
to
be
up
on
all
the
different
issues
and
all
the
different
policies
that
are
being
talked
about,”
he
said.
Woodson
intends
to
work
for
Teach
for
America
upon
graduation.
Micah
Perkins,
a
23-year-old
transgender
student
from
Missouri
State
University,
said
he
attended
the
camp
to
meet
other
activists
and
improve
his
leadership
skills.
“I’ve
heard
a
lot
about
this
camp
from
other
activists
around
the
country
and
I
wanted
to
see
what
we
could
learn
here,”
he
said.
Perkins
intends
to
pursue
a
job
supporting
gay
youth
following
graduation.
Adrian
Herrera,
a
gay
22-year-old
senior
from
California
Polytechnic
State
University,
participated
in
the
camp
last
year
and
wanted
to
attend
again
to
help
facilitate
the
activities.
The
student
said
he
wanted
to
assist
in
Campus
Pride’s
mission
of
“providing
a
national
presence
for
leadership
development
for
LGBT
leaders.”
After
his
studies
are
complete,
Herrera
intends
to
apply
for
engineering
work
in
the
Coast
Guard.
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