AIDS Activist to Lecture at Assumption College

November, 2003- Assumption College is pleased to announce a lecture with Rebekka Armstrong, former model and AIDS activist, on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 at 6:30 PM in the Hagan Campus Center Hall.

Armstrong contracted the virus in the mid-1980s, but did not learn that she was HIV-positive until 1989. She has been dealing with the effects of the illness for nearly 20 years. At first, the news sent her on an emotional roller-coaster, but now, she has chosen to turn devastating news into positive energy by becoming "an outspoken activist involved in the struggle to bring awareness to the illness and to fight for progress in finding better medications and treatment". Instead of hiding behind the illness, Armstrong has chosen to educate others about the dangers of HIV and AIDS.

Armstrong spends much of her time touring the country to speak at college campuses and other forums. "Going public has saved my life," she says in the biography featured on her website. "HIV has taught me that I have a purpose, and it has given me a reason to live."

For more information on this event, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at (508) 767-7160.