Today marks GCNW’s beloved founder’s birthday! GCNova sends its warmest birthday wishes to Betty, with the hopes that she has had a blessed, beautiful day!

As for GCNova, we have taken a bit of a break since the spring semester’s successful Take Back the Night event. The final weeks of the semester were dominated by final exams and move-out. Two among us walked at the commencement ceremonies: congratulations to our 2010 graduates, GCNova Vice President Maren Miller and GCNova Villanova Outreach Chair Sarah Czar!

Summer 2010 will bring changes and plans for the future of GCNova, including a fall transition in leadership as we begin to look ahead to the coming years. Stay tuned!

Ten years ago, in Zimbabwe, an extraordinary woman began her life’s work for young women and children all around the world. Betty Makoni, founder of GCN Zimbabwe and GCNW, shared her incredible story with CNN and, in two days, will be sharing it with Villanova University. GCNova, the Center for Peace and Justice Education, and the Villanova Department of Communication is immensely proud to welcome Makoni — a recognized 2009 CNN Hero — to Villanova as she addresses child and sexual violence in Africa and abroad, what GCNW is doing to help, and how students can join the fight against human rights violations around the world.

Whatever your preconceived notions are about assault, “feminism,” or gender issues, put them aside for an hour on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 and come out to hear this amazing, beautiful woman.

This weekend, I had the incredible honor of attending the taping of CNN’s All-Star Heroes Tribute at the historic Kodak Theatre, in Los Angeles, CA. I can honestly say it was one of the most rewarding and humbling moments in my entire life, as I watched ten real-life heroes take the stage to overwhelming applause. That night, there were a number of notable celebrities in attendance, including host Anderson Cooper, Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis, Nicole Kidman, George Lopez, Pierce Brosnan, Kate Hudson, Maxwell, and Eva Mendes. But CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2009 outshone them all.