Our Community
Lauriel Schuman, North American Center

Here at the North American center of Friends World there is a spectacular community of people. 28 to be exact. We live together, eat together, have class together, and share our lives together. We all come from varying backgrounds and often differ in our opinions on life, but there is something incredible that connects us. On the surface there are our common interests, but beneath that there lies something much stronger; our passion for life, our commitment to greatness and our unrelenting pursuit to transform the world, however that may be.

We have been a community for less than two months and yet I have seen the support and compassion of a community unified by something much stronger than time. Over the last two months we have organized among ourselves to create a women's circle, an organic foods club, weekly student meetings, and daily activities. We have protested the required meal plan on campus and have spoken out about the ineffectiveness of certain classes. We have marched in the streets of Washington D.C. and New York to speak out for peace in a time when war is the word of the day. And we have done it together.

Each day I am surrounded by 27 of the most amazing people I have ever met, 27 strong, beautiful, thoughtful people who I know will all have a tremendous impact on the world in which it will never be the same. It is a blessing to be part of such a community.