Daily Collegian Story - Students participate in 'Walk a Mile in Her Shoes'
Brothers attended the Voices against Violence “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” - brothers and the State College community marched through downtown in heels to raise awareness about gender-based violence - Oct. 2026
Content warning: This article contains mention of sexual assault. Resources and support are available through Penn State’s Counseling and Psychological Services.
More than 100 Penn State students gathered for the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” march hosted by Voices Against Violence at the Allen Street Gates on Tuesday night. Participants, particularly men, were encouraged to walk a mile in high heels to raise awareness of sexual violence perpetuated against women.
Vice president and co-founder of Voices Against Violence, Carrisa Fan, 21, of Gilbert, Arizona, was initially drawn to the march because of its unconventional nature.
“I felt this was a very good way to get people turning their heads. You don’t see it in State College, Pennsylvania… multiple guys walking down the street in high heels,” Fan, a fourth-year studying nursing, said.
Fan and other organizers sought to balance the lighthearted nature of the march while maintaining the seriousness of sexual and domestic violence.
“People are not always going to come to an event if it’s not something that they think is fun,” Fan said.
However, she emphasized to all participants that “we were uncomfortable for 40 minutes, but people who were sexually assaulted in the past or have been in a domestically violent relationship will be uncomfortable for the rest of their life.”
Before the march began at 5:30 p.m., students created signs with messages such as “Abuse Has NO Excuse” and “Break the Silence, End the Violence!” Participants also wore purple ribbons in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Nick Shriner, 18, of Arlington, Virginia, created a sign saying “No Means No!” and hoped the event could raise awareness about the experiences of sexual violence survivors to outsiders.
“Especially in light of recent events, we need to reinforce, like my sign says, that no means no and consent is always mandatory,” Shriner, a first-year studying agribusiness management, said.
The march began with cheers as participants waved their signs and started their mile-long walk in heels. Some participants who were unfamiliar with heels stumbled or even fell. As the march continued, onlookers cheered while passing cars honked their horns in support.
Connor Hoey, 20, of Carroll County, Maryland, described his first experience in heels as “definitely a calf workout” but said he hoped demonstrations such as these could spark conversations about sexual and domestic violence.
“Don’t be a bystander. If someone seeks out for help, help them,” Hoey, a second-year studying supply chain management and information systems, said.
Aiden Shepro, 20, of York, Pennsylvania, said he felt fraternities have to play an important role in organizing against domestic and sexual violence, particularly in light of recent sexual assault allegations at Cornell University. When Shepro, president of the Theta Chi fraternity at Penn State, received an email from Voices Against Violence about collaborating, he said he and his fraternity brothers were eager to participate.
“When can we go and do I need my own heels? There were just questions of how to get immediately involved,” Shepro, a third-year studying microbiology, said.
Shepro said participating in the march motivated him to take a more “proactive” role in preventing and ending sexual violence.
Other collaborating student organizations included the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), which assisted with event planning, Serve State, which provided volunteers and Penn State Reproductive Justice Project, which provided first-aid assistance.
Beyond the march, Fan said she hoped Penn State would take additional steps to educate students about sexual and domestic violence.
“I’ve seen the emails… I just simply don’t think that’s enough. For most people, it goes to their spam,” Fan said. “I would love for people to have a course on campus that’s required by the school where they talk about statistics and resources that they do have.”
Fan encouraged survivors of sexual and domestic violence to seek assistance from the Relationship Violence Outreach, Intervention and Community Education (R-VOICE) Center at Penn State or the National Domestic Violence Hotline to reach help.
Looking ahead, Fan said she hopes that the success of the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes march will help establish the demonstration as an annual Penn State tradition every October.
“Don’t let the conversation die out now that the event is over,” Fan said.