YREKA – Yreka High School senior Taylor Barrett was told that her senior project should be something that she is passionate about. Barrett is passionate about raising awareness of the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan, as well as raising funds to help the refugees, through Dollars for Darfur

Dollars for Darfur is part of the Save Darfur coalition, which is a company that works to raise money and resources to help with the genocide that is going on in Africa, right now,” said Barrett. “The actual Dollars for Darfur is a high school competition, where they get kids to do fundraisers, and you get a prize if you raise the most.”

Barrett, however, is not taking part in the contest. Instead she’s just sending the money she raises to the program. Barrett has already donated some of her own money to Save Darfur, and has raised about $270 for Dollars for Darfur. Her goal is to raise $500.

Barrett became interested in the genocide taking place in Darfur, when she took a college course at UC Berkeley in international law and human rights last summer. She chose to do her process paper on Darfur, and how it related to the violation of human rights.

“I did a lot of research on it. And, the more I researched, the more angry it made me. I just wanted to get involved somehow,” said Barrett.

Barrett’s Dollars for Darfur event will take place on Saturday, April 12, from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, in the Yreka HS Student Union building. During the event, there will be Karaoke and Guitar Hero contests, as well as a raffle. Barrett will also be showing a short film about Darfur to raise awareness, and let attendees know how the funds will be used. Admission is $2.00, and raffle tickets are $1.00. She will also be selling wrist bands that say “Save Darfur,” and “Not on our Watch.”

”Not on our Watch is the slogan for this whole thing because during World War II, during the Holocaust, we said never again would we let a genocide happen, and here we are again,” said Barrett. “It’s been dragging on for five years, and just nothing has been done.”

Barrett, however, is doing something and is headed for a career oriented towards making life better for all of earth’s inhabitants.

Barrett plans on attending college after high school, but hasn’t decided between UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz. She plans on majoring in Environmental Studies. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, Barrett plans to attend graduate school, preferably at UC Berkeley. She isn’t sure exactly what her ideal career would be, but Barrett is leaning towards being a field scientist. She will be doing an internship this summer with the University of Nevada, which does research at Castle Lake, near Mt. Shasta.

Barrett is the daughter of Beverly Walls and Mitchell Barrett, and lives in Lake Shastina. Yreka HS Social Studies teacher Kassidy Salters is her senior project mentor.