Walking into "The HIV (Hope Infected Virus) Experience" this past Friday, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew the event was HIV/AIDS-related, but what the event had to say about it was unclear to me. I mean, what could they say about HIV/AIDS that I didn't already know? Ironically, those questions are exactly what the Girl Effect, the club that organized and hosted the event, addressed for the duration of the event.The Girl Effect aims to empower and support impoverished women around the world by helping to provide resources to better not only their own lives but also the lives of their families and their communities. Thus, The HIV Experience came to be. The event, featuring a variety of performances by a variety of people, aimed to "go beyond statistics," as Girl Effect President Supreetha Gubbala '12 stated, in order to recognize and challenge the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and not to just list facts in the hopes that the audience would retain them. Gubbala and Noam Shouster '11, a student who helped the Girl Effect because of her close work with Women's Equality in Access to Care and Treatment for HIV, mentioned that the majority of the proceeds would go to that group. This is an organization that specifically helps to support and inform Rwandan women with HIV/AIDS, many of whom were infected during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The event was an eye-opening experience with intimate stories and performances that not only addressed the relational issues surrounding HIV/AIDS but also the hope that can be found in such dire situations.

The evening kicked off with a spoken-word poem by Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams titled "Bloodsucker." The poem portrayed HIV/AIDS as a vampire slowly decaying the body it inhabits. This performance was a good way to begin the night because of its portrayal of the disease as a being rather than abstract numbers on a page. Another spoken-word poet featured was Usman Hameedi '12, who performed two poems throughout the course of the evening. Hameedi's poems were a sobering reminder that HIV/AIDS does not just exist in some obscure third-world country but is something that could affect friends' lives.

Similar themes were carried on throughout the monologues, a portion of the program in which performers were asked to confront their own prejudices against HIV/AIDS and then translate those into a story. These stories explored HIV/AIDS not only in the context of school or relationships, but also of ethnicity, religion, sexuality and the media. Naomi Volk '14 gave a powerful performance, portraying someone with AIDS who is at angry at those who think they can understand what she's going through just because they've seen movies like RENT.

Other notable monologues came from Jessica Christian '13, Nusruth Yusuf '13 and Sujin Shin '13. Christian and Yusuf portrayed two Indian girls living as prostitutes in order to support their families; both contract HIV and must decide how to face their families. Shin's monologue addressed race, as she portrayed a strict Korean mother who resolves to not let her daughter continue being friends with another Korean girl because she has HIV. Her mother says that a good Korean girl would not contract such a thing, as it's a disease "only white girls" get.

In between each monologue were ministories told by students solely through body language and apparel. Each person represented either an HIV-positive or negative person while echoing the same themes mentioned in monologues. The monologue and narratives segued smoothly with the help of the song "Tea Leaf Dancers" by Flying Lotus.

There were also a number of entertaining and hopeful musical performances. One example was Ashni Dave's '12 very soulful and uplifting renditions of John Legend's "Stay With You" and India.Arie's "There's Hope." A cappella group Rather Be Giraffes finished off the night by leading everyone in singing "Seasons of Love" from the Broadway musical RENT. All the previous performers joined them onstage with them as they joyously sang together.

The HIV Experience was truly one infected with hope. The Girl Effect's dedication really shone through, as the night was well put-together and informative in that I walked away more knowledgeable not just of facts but also, of the emotional and less tangible issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. As someone without HIV/AIDS, I won't say that I completely understand the struggles of those with the virus or disease, but I will say that I have more knowledge simply of what is happening around the world and how I can help.