Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
white red and yellow wall decor \"Funarama\"
white red and yellow wall decor \"Funarama\"
Shane/Unsplash
Life

Meet Christina Kamkutis: Protester at D.C. March for Our Lives

Maura Flynn
Melanie Smith
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WVU chapter.

Introduce yourself!

My name is Christina Kamkutis, I am a freshman at West Virginia University studying Human Nutrition and Foods, from Lakewood, Ohio.

 

What made you want to travel to DC for the march?

I’ve always wanted to get more involved politically but I never really knew how. One day a close friend of mine told me she was going to the march and I pretty much just told her I was coming with her. It is a cause that I am passionate about and I wanted to be a part of history.

 

 

Tell me about your experience— who you saw, what you heard, etc.

All I could see were people. So many people and they were everywhere. When I finally came to a place in the crowd that I could see down to the Capitol building, I gasped: the crowd went on for twelve whole blocks. By the time the march was over, I couldn’t even remember what a street looked like without people completely covering it. They would chant lots of things: “This is what democracy looks like”, “Vote them out”, “Shame”, “Hey, hey, NRA, how many kids did you kill today?”, and more that I couldn’t always make out.

 

 

What were some of your favorite protest signs, speakers, etc?

My own sign read, “When our children start acting like leaders, and our leaders are acting like children, you know change is coming.”

My favorite signs were…

● “Only thing easier to buy than a gun is a GOP candidate”

● “Actually, guns do kill people. Exactly 3175 in 2018”

● “Trump wears jorts”

â—Ź “Enough is enough– end the silence around gun violence”

â—Ź “We won’t be the victims of greed and corruption”

● “Hold hands not guns”

â—Ź “It’s your choice: your kids or your guns”.

 

 

What did you take away from being a part of the nationwide protest?

Being part of this protest resided in me a part of myself that strives to fight for a greater cause. It may not always be on a large scale like this; even if it’s just at school, at work, at home…this protest reminded me of how important hard work and perseverance are in any aspect of life: on a political or on a more casual level.

 

 

How would you describe the overall feeling of the crowd in D.C.?

The feelings most noticeable hanging in the D.C. air that day were hope and resilience. You could definitely tell that everyone there was ready to keep pushing this movement forward until the pressure becomes too great and change comes.

Maura is a senior at West Virginia University, studying honors journalism and leadership. She was the president of Her Campus at WVU from 2018-2019, interns with ESPN College GameDay and works as a marketing/communication assistant for the Reed College of Media. On campus, she has written opinion for WVU's Daily Athenaeum, served as the PR chair for WVU Society of Professional Journalists and was a reporter for WVUToday. She teaches leadership classes for the Honors College and is an active member of both the Honors Student Association and Helvetia Honorary. Maura is an avid fan of The New Yorker, (most) cities and the first half of late-night talk shows.
Hi ladies and gents, my name is Mel, Melanie if you're feelin' fancy. I'm a senior studying advertising, political science and fashion at West Virginia University. In addition to my studies, I am the Campus Correspondent for the WVU HC Chapter! You can hear me on the radio at U92 FM reporting the news and hosting morning shows. If I'm not there, I'm most likely at the local Panera eating my body weight in broccoli cheddar soup or writing about the daily, awkward encounters I experience. I represenative of the college of media as an ambassador and the prez of the magazine club. Oversized sweatshirts and jean on jean are my aesthetics. Lover, not a fighter unless you tell me Joe Jonas wasn't the best Jonas. Laters, baby.