Yannick Tona speaking to students at USC (Greg Irwin / Neon Tommy)

It's not an overstatement to say that Yannick's presence defined our trip.

He was a guide: he managed to coordinate opportunities for our class to meet ambassadors, human rights leaders, and ministers of the Rwandan government.

He was a friend: within thirty minutes of our late-night arrival in Rwanda, he insisted that my classmates and I immediately leave our hostel to head to Kigali nightclub Papyrus—where, across multiple nights, many of our fondest memories of the trip were made.

But this twenty-four-year-old Texas Christian University student was, above all, an inspiration.

In 1994, Yannick survived the Rwandan Genocide. Most of his family did not.

When he was eleven, Yannick resolved not to hate the killers. He decided no good could come from hating them.

He was not unlike us, but he was so unlike us.

Using his Tona Global Youth Initiative as a platform, Yannick has become an activist, bringing his story to tens of thousands of avid listeners across several continents to connect them with human rights concerns, from preventing genocide to stopping bullying of LGBT youth.

Upon returning to America, myself and several of my PWP classmates reinvigorated the USC Shoah Foundation Student Association, intending to, in part, use the organization as a platform to generate dynamic ways to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide at USC. We knew we needed to connect students with one of the worst moments in human history, while sharing with them the hope we discovered in the beautiful, progressive, welcoming Rwanda of today.

In other words, we knew USC needed to meet Yannick.

And it happened. Last night's event, “Lessons from Rwanda: Yannick Tona's Story of Survival and Activism,” was packed beyond capacity. Many who attended were forced to stand in the back—but still they remained, enraptured by the words of our friend:

“You change, your friends notice. They see you, they change too. Your friends change their families. Change their families, change the country. Change the country, change the world.”

You could hear students listen. You could hear them care. You could hear a pin drop—until he finished. 

Then, uproarious applause.

It's inevitable that Yannick's the most inspirational thing in whatever room he's standing in. But, USC, I have to give it to you: last night, you guys came pretty close.

“Lessons from Rwanda: Yannick Tona's Story of Survival and Activism” was the first of many April events that together comprise the inaugural USC Genocide Awareness Month, which has been coordinated by a coalition of student organizations on-campus. Next up: this Friday's “Your Voice, Your World”, which will be followed on Monday night by “Remember, Unite, Renew: Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide.” 

The full event calendar can be accessed here.