Meet the 2015-2016 UP 4 THE FIGHT Top Fundraiser

Hello! My name is Kat, I am finishing up my first year at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as a Dance Major and I am the 2016 UP 4 THE FIGHT Top Fundraiser. I am so incredibly excited to travel to Zimbabwe this summer alongside the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) team to see firsthand the work being done there.

My love of Africa began at a young age. When I was 12-years-old, for my parents’ 25th anniversary, my parents, brothers, and I went on safari in Botswana, Tanzania, and Zambia. Then, during my junior year in high school, I returned to Africa with the opportunity to film a short documentary in Rwanda. I decided to make the subject of my film about the role of HIV/AIDS as a weapon of war during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. I was fascinated by a quote from one of my interviews, “Women always tell me that these men say the same thing. The first genocide is when we kill your men. The second genocide is when we rape you. And the third genocide is when you find out that you are HIV positive.” I felt compelled to tell this side of the atrocities of war and the personal stories of these survivors.

I knew I wanted to be a part of the Pediatric AIDS Coalition (PAC) and be involved with Dance Marathon long before I was admitted to UCLA. I had attended a Dance Marathon during high school and fell in love. Being chosen as one of five freshmen to be on the PAC Committee was one of my proudest accomplishments. This year I was lucky enough to be on The Morale Committee. The job of this committee is to write and film promotional videos, come up with the theme shifts during the Dance Marathon, and dance onstage for the entire 26 hours to pump the crowd up. I remember my feet never hurting so badly. I nearly fell asleep standing up, and at one point was so tired that I put a costume on upside down. But each and every moment up on that stage was worth it! I was able to dance alongside some of the children that we are helping and they were a constant source of inspiration – if they could do it, so could I.

Being a part of PAC is so much more than just Dance Marathon. PAC provides weekly lessons to their members to give them a broader knowledge about HIV/AIDS on every level, from the biological component to the psychological aspects. From my work with PAC, I have gained a deeper comprehension of how much stigma is a factor in the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS.

I am thrilled to be the U4TF Top Fundraiser for this year! During the UCLA Dance Marathon I was in third place but I wasn’t content with third so I continued to email, text, and call everyone I knew up until the very last day of the competition – a huge thanks to my friends and family for helping making this trip to Zimbabwe with EGPAF a reality! Now that I have a deeper understanding of HIV/AIDS following my experience with PAC and UP 4 THE FIGHT, I feel that this trip will be even more meaningful.

For more information about the UP 4 THE FIGHT program and how you can be even more involved, please email up4thefight@pedaids.org and check out www.up4thefight.org.