It only lasts a few minutes, but a YouTube video from an Aquinas student about an important but often overlooked issue has gotten significant attention on the web.

Sophomore Jessie Lynn McCormick describes her project - a short-form video on homelessness - as an attempt to raise awareness about a problem that affects communities across the country, including Grand Rapids. What began as an assignment for her “Introduction to Community Leadership” class, has taken on a life of its own, gaining almost 1,600 views on YouTube in the last two months alone.

Set to the music of award-winning country act Sugarland, McCormick’s video details stories of homeless youths, as well as statistics about the most common trends of homelessness in the United States. With each number, McCormick shares quotes and life experiences from homeless people she has met and worked alongside. The quotes and reflections seek to give a human face to the issue, not merely facts and figures.

When asked why homelessness was her topic-of-choice for the video project, McCormick, who is majoring in Community Leadership, said, “Personal experience. Between my junior and senior years of high school, I ended up homeless. I stayed in a couple of places—sometimes with extended family—and there was a family from my church, and I stayed there quite a bit.” After some time, McCormick said, she found herself unsure of where she would be living next, causing her to feel what she describes as “panic mode.”

Eventually, McCormick came to Aquinas College, and she’s grateful for her experiences as a college student, crediting Aquinas for creating a safe learning environment for her and others: “Because I was technically and can still be considered ‘homeless youth’ - when I’m not [living on-campus], I’m with [myself] - I experienced hardships before ever arriving here. But I think Aquinas played a crucial part in standing up to those who don’t realize how big the problem is.”

Having worked with Arbor Circle, a West Michigan program that offers counseling on issues of mental stability, interpersonal conflict, and drug and alcohol abuse, McCormick got to know many people whose lives have been affected by homeless experiences. “It wasn’t a big or important job, and I made a lot of copies and stapled a lot of papers — and got some trademark paper cuts,” she said. “But when I was in the lobby, I’d chat with some of the youth who were there for the day, and I really connected with them.”

In these exchanges, she learned just how important it is to heed the stories of those whose lives have been particularly challenging - not only for themselves, but for those who seek to help as well. “I think it helped to have someone who was actually listening, and—they didn’t know it - understanding,” she said.

The statistics and stories in her video—apart from those drawn from people she’s met—were taken from a variety of places, including Covenant House (a national organization reaching out to homeless youth), and Youth Noise (which encourages young people to be leaders in their communities). McCormick sought to have the most up-to-date and reliable information as possible, and she emphasizes the power of sharing stories such as the ones in her video as a means of understanding such a relevant problem.

One such story was that of a young woman in a shelter who owned nothing but a small paint can. Often seen talking to the paint can when upset or by herself, eventually a volunteer asked the woman what was inside her container. The young woman admitted that it was her mother’s ashes. McCormick recalls how potent the story was for her, describing it as one that has stuck with her as a reminder of others’ pain - and her own.

With the pain, however, comes gratitude - to her friends, and to the Aquinas community - for creating new possibilities for McCormick and others.

“Aquinas gave me one of the biggest gifts I’ve ever gotten, and that’s opportunity,” said McCormick. “It gave me a sense of what it’s like to be successful. There’s good people here, and I think once someone is able to find that one genuine person who will listen to them, who believes in their dreams one hundred and fifty percent, and who cares about their education, listens to their past, and are honest all the time - I think it really changes their life. Aquinas has given me a new view of the world, one that is filled with good people, opportunity, chances to make your past truly your past, and build a future.”