Gardner Auditorium was filled with students waiting to hear the words of Treyla Lee, a WSC graduate that has dedicated her life to serving others and contributing to her community.

“Everything’s she’s done is to help others,” Jan Dinsmore said when introducing Lee and all of her accomplishments.

Lee currently resides in Sioux City, where she is a youth advisor on the NAACP, an adoption recruiter and on the board for Habitat for Humanity, as well as many other boards.

She started off by stating that she wanted to have an actual conversation with the audience, and wasn’t there to give a lecture. She got the audience involved by asking them what they thought of the various hashtags, such as #BlackLivesMatter or #FergusonMissouri. People of various ages spoke up and talked about what those hashtags were about and what their thoughts were.

One topic she talked about most is how Martin Luther King Jr. really stressed the importance of helping others, and not just about treating everyone with respect.

“Dr. King fought a non-violence act so I could get my education,” Lee said.

The question of “What is the difference between equality and equity?” was also brought up with the room. She used her shirt as an example, and how equality means that everyone, no matter the shape or size, has to wear the shirt she was currently wearing. However, with equity, she wouldn’t make the men, or anyone else who didn’t want to, wear the shirt.

Another interesting point she brought up was the acronym ROPES. The “R” stands for respect, to which she said to treat everyone with. The “O” stands for open, which means that people need to be open with one another and make themselves clear. The “P” stands for participation, and to take action into your community. The “E” is for education, and to educate yourselves about what is going on in the world around you; and finally, the “S” stands for support, and the fact that we as humans need to support each other.

The speech was thought-provoking, and the audience had great participation. Lee ended with a quote by Dr. King.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”