Junior Eva Dalke stood in the classroom, realizing her dream of teaching was never meant to be. Dalke came to PHC with the intention of pursuing a career in law or education. She loved children and enrolled in an internship with a local school to gain some teaching experience. Her clear goal collapsed in front of her when she realized her lack of passion for the job.
“In my junior year, I was hit with this moment: ‘What would I do?’” Dalke said. “In my senior year, I took a step back and identified my passions. The pro-life movement kept coming to the top of my mind.”
Dalke graduated from PHC in 2024 with a degree in Literature. She participated in mock trial and received the Timothy and Beverly LaHaye Leadership Award upon graduation. She also became a Resident Assistant and could be seen on the pickleball court with her future husband and his friends during her junior and senior years.
Dalke began applying for jobs as she prepared for graduation. She heard about Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA) through PHC students who had volunteered for SBA deployments. SBA accepted her application for a position in advancement, but the hiring committee pointed her to a different job opening they thought she could be a good fit for—an executive assistant position.
“It was a really smooth transition,” Dalke said. “The work culture at SBA is really positive, and the people have your back. You know that you are doing work that honors the Lord’s heart.”
“There are so many jobs you might not think of as a literature major,” Dalke said. “Studying literature teaches you what it means to be human and develop skill sets that are people-oriented. I am definitely using the skills I learned in my literature degree.”
At SBA, Dalke enjoyed maintaining administrative organization and creating social media reaction reels to help educate others on the value of life and abortion issues. Managing the SBA social media taught her valuable lessons about dealing with online trolls and critical commentators. She watched as pro-choice advocates filled the comment sections with spiteful criticism. This experience taught her to practice forgiveness and stay confident in her work.
“As a Christian who has been pro-life for my whole life, sometimes, it is shocking to see some of the arguments used by the pro-abortion side,” Dalke said. “But it fuels me further. It reminds me why my work matters.”
Dalke married her fiancé, Hunter Dalke, shortly after his graduation from PHC. They planned to move to Georgia for his job and start their new life in a new city. Transitioning from Virginia to Georgia also meant Eva Dalke needed to figure out a job quickly. Luckily, a position opened with Her PLAN—the sister organization of SBA. Eva Dalke left her old job as an executive assistant at SBA and became the Georgia state coordinator for Her PLAN.
While SBA focuses on political activism, Her PLAN provides resources for pregnant mothers by bringing together community leadership and local organizations. The goal of Her PLAN is to create “Her Communities”—communities that actively serve local pregnant mothers and give them the confidence to take on motherhood.
“Her choice for life is not a singular point in time decision,” a statement on Her PLAN’s website reads. “She is making that choice every day of her pregnancy. All Her PLAN programs enable local communities to increase her access to the resources that sustain her decision for life.”
Her PLAN helps mothers with unplanned pregnancies by bridging needs with long-term solutions. Support initiatives include allocating physical, medical, and personal resources to local expecting mothers from diverse backgrounds. This group includes individuals who have never had a child, parents, those in abusive relationships, and those without the financial means to raise a child.
"Sixty percent of women who had an abortion reported that they would not have done so if they had received the necessary materials or emotional support," Eva Dalke said. “We’re a very grassroots organization, working day in and day out to activate community members. If the mom is surrounded, her little baby will be supported, protected, and loved.”
She encourages students to find strategic ways to utilize their skill sets and serve local pro-life organizations.
“Go to the March for Life, do a student deployment, volunteer at a local pregnancy center!” Eva Dalke said. “Find small ways to see the beauty of this movement and how you can be the hands and feet of Christ.”
This article was originally published in PHC's student-run publication, The Herald.
Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.