In response to heightened media coverage of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, Student Congress held a candlelight vigil on Oct. 7 to honor those negatively affected by the Syrian civil war. Community Service Chairwoman senior Ankita Nayak said that she hoped the vigil would spread awareness of the events taking place in Syria.

“A lot of people at our school are completely unaware of what is going on outside of the Plano bubble,” Nayak said. “The point of the vigil was to remind students that there are people out there fighting for their lives and to take a moment to remember those that are suffering.”

A human rights activist herself, Nayak said that she wants candlelight vigils honoring the less fortunate to become a tradition at Plano in efforts to prevent future acts of genocide.

“We promised that events like the Holocaust would never happen again,” Nayak said. “We need to keep trying to prevent them so that the promise of ‘never again’ can become a reality.”

Gallery • 2 Photos

Community Service senior chair Ankita Nayak hoped to raise awareness about the Syrian civil war through creating an outline of the country with candles.