The Facts: Chris Hondros , alum and award-winning photojournalist, died last year while documenting the Libyan civil war. Hondros , a conflict reporter, focused his work on portraying the humanity in instances of suffering and strife.

Our Opinion: We must embrace the convictions we’re passionate about and be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to better our world.

Chris Hondros , an N.C . State alum and photojournalist, was not afraid to follow his passion for people. He traveled around the world, into many dangerous conflicts, to bring to light the humanity trapped in violent chaos.

Hondros was not forced to document the civil wars in Liberia or Sierra Leone any more than he was forced to climb the Afghan mountains while under enemy fire, but he did it because he felt that was his way to make a difference in the world.

Hondros died April 20, 2011 while on an assignment in Libya, during the 2011 civil war that pitted a nation hungry for change against the forces of dictator Moammar Gadhafi . This time, like countless others, Hondros embraced the risk to further his mission-to demonstrate the horror of war and the common humanity amongst all people.

In honor of Hondros’ sacrifice, the downtown gallery Artspace now hosts their feature exhibition with Hondros’ work. The gallery is full of his career’s best work, with some images taken only a week before his death.

Hondros’ work is a stark reminder of the volatile world we live in and the consequences we have on each other. His dedication to serving and socializing with others is apparent through the poignant images he risked his life to share.

Hondros made a career out of staying informed and being conscious of the suffering that afflicts much of the world. Though we all shouldn’t follow his exact footsteps into a conflict zone, we should honor his sacrifice and recognize the grave ramifications of war, disaster and civil strife.

He did not make a career of taking pictures. He made a career of documenting people’s struggles. No matter what we do with our lives after college, we must recognize the importance of doing it not for the sake of money, fame or vanity, but rather for other people. In the end, our last motivation must be empathy.

Hondros recognized the power of empathy and dedicated his life to it. If there is one thing his work says, it’s that being human is worth dying for. Let’s commemorate that and act to improve ourselves and our world.