NDA students attending the March for Life rally in Washington D.C. agreed the trip should be an annual event for the school. 

There were 23 students who attended. The trip was from January 21-25. Teachers Joan Cinotto and Father Jordan Neeck also attended, along with some parent volunteers. 

“It was a very fun and informative trip, and I won’t forget the good times, the jokes made, and the dinners we had. One thing that inspired me was the number of people at the rally from all across the country that were there to support one common good,” said one of the students who attended the trip. 

This pro-life trip consisted of praying in front of Planned Parenthood, touring and going to Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, participating in the Rally for Life, the March, and then touring the Capitol. 

On Saturday, the buses had to leave early due to weather, so some things were unfortunately missed. 

Students on this trip got to experience something incredible that many other people across the whole United States were standing up for. 

“I am very involved in the Pro-Life movement, but I always seem to learn more on the March for Life. There was a speaker who shared her personal experience with the abortion pill and the reversal pill, which was fascinating and eye-opening,” said Cinotto. 

“During the trip it was very enjoyable to get to know people from other schools and states. The sense of community and joy of interactions with other Catholic youth was very fun and wholesome,” said another NDA student. 

The March included many other Catholic organizations and students from all over country the students could meet and get to know.  

Father Jordan asked students for a couple “takeaway comments” on their trip experience.  He shared their responses with the Tritonian:

• 1-2 Take-Aways from the Trip:
  • One thing that I will never forget about this year’s trip to DC for the March for Life was waking up at 5 o’clock our last night to go for a run in the 5 degree weather with some of the other students on the trip [and Mr. Aschinger & Fr. Jordan]. We were able to see the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument lined up from our vantage point on the river trail which was super cool to see.
  • Something that impacted me was seeing many influential leaders of the U.S. [VP JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson, along with others] believe in what I believe in and are there to make a change.  Instead of just stating something they are taking action to make a difference.
  • Seeing so many people come together to support a cause is amazing.
  • It was beautiful to see the large number of young people who support the pro-life cause.
  • I thought it was really impactful and cool to see how many people shared similar views and to be in the same place as all of those people. It was crazy to me how many people came to march.
  • The trip was lovely. It was inspiring to see so many people my age living out their faith.
  • It was a great experience to see how many people cared about the cause and how much attention it gets and how it can make a difference when all of those people come together.
  • It was a very fun and informative trip and I won’t forget the good times, the jokes made, and the dinners had. One thing that inspired me was the amount of people at the rally that were all across the country that were there to support one common good.
  • I will never forget getting tomatoes thrown at me! [Outside a prayer service at Planned Parenthood] But in all seriousness, I loved bonding with everyone who went on the trip and experiencing new things that were different (like the Capitol tour) from last year. The Mass at the Basilica was super impactful and is by far my favorite church I have ever been to.
  • I was impacted by the amount of support there was for this cause especially by the people from NDA who I met. Something I’ll never forget is the person on the stretcher outside of planned parenthood [paramedics were called in and a woman left the clinic in an ambulance].
  • Getting to know my fellow classmates and other grades. It was so amazing to see and talk to teachers more freely as well. This trip has changed how I am as a person and I am so glad I went. It is truly wonderful to see how we are not as marginalized as social media makes us appear.
  • Similar to last year, it was an emboldening experience to see so many people with hearts against abortion.
  • Early into the march route, many screens had been placed playing graphic imagery of mutilated fetuses. Although intense, seeing that video footage has made me more emotionally convicted against abortion.
  • During the trip it was very enjoyable to get to know people from other schools and states. The sense of community and joy of interactions with other Catholic youth was very fun and wholesome.
  • Additionally, compared to last year there was much more cohesion within the NDA group. We functioned less as cliques and more as a small community, which was great!
  • The mass is something I will never forget
  • What inspired me is how many people can come together for one cause and how long of a line it is that people are marching in.