Building a Bridge
UF's Panhellenic Council president sheds some light on the issue of AIDS
by Elizabeth Hannum

In a forum where the topic of AIDS is considered taboo, University of Florida's Panhellenic Council President Teresa Porter has brought an unspoken issue to light. Since the outbreak of AIDS in the 80's, the Panhellenic Council had done nothing to address the issue until Porter took the initiative. With the help of the Director of Service for Panhellenic, Ashley Gomberg, the taboo topic of AIDS was brought to a forum it had never been. And it only took a spark to get the fire going.

Porter, a political science and sociology major at UF, decided the best way to raise awareness was to coordinate a 5K run. The run was named Janet's Walk/Run for Hope after the mother of a council member who had died of the disease. With nearly 500 participants, Porter was able to make a $5,000 contribution to the Alachua County Health Department. Yet she realizes that the issue is far more outreaching than Gainesville.

"It's important to be involved in this international fight involving people all over the world. This is a good opportunity to incorporate the Gainesville community," she says.

In a move to acknowledge the epidemics widespread effects, Porter coincided the date of the run with the date of World AIDS day. Although it's an issue that's extensive, Porter knows that you have to start small.

"I'm most motivated by the idea that any group of people working towards a common goal can make an impact on the world. The most any of us may do in our lives is add one stepping stone to a bridge that links our lives today and perhaps a better life that we may all live in the future. I don't think a single person can build that bridge on their own, it's better if we all pick up a single stone, however small or large, and pitch in," she says.

When Porter was not busy tackling a worldwide outbreak, you could find her as a member of Phi Mu sorority or studying to keep up her 3.97 GPA. It's no wonder that in 2003 Porter was named the Harry S. Truman Scholar receiving $27,000 for graduate school.

"From working with my sorority members, I learned not to promote the status quo but to move past the norm and challenge my members and myself. I wish to lead the Panhellenic Council to a place it has not yet ventured," she says.

Contact Porter at tere815@ufl.edu.

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