This post was written by Hatchet reporter Stephanie Vilella.

A chief strategist for the country’s leading gay rights lobbying group tried to mobilize students Wednesday in a momentous year for advocates’ fight for marriage equality.

Marty Rouse, the national field director of the Human Rights Campaign, told the College Democrats and Allied in Pride that the imminent Supreme Court cases on gay marriage and several states’ progress on the issue made 2013 the year to get involved in the organization’s efforts.

Rouse also discussed the HRC’s efforts to push for marriage equality legislation in six specific states: Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island. This could have an impact on the Supreme Court’s decision if the goals are met before March 24, he added.

“More states that we have in support of marriage equality, that really will impact how this American experiment is going,” Rouse said. “If we can get one, two, or three more states by the end of June, it’s quite, quite significant.”

Same-sex couples now can legally marry in nine states and D.C.

The Supreme Court will rule in June on two cases, one that is trying to overturn California’s Proposition 8 and one that will argue that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

Rouse encouraged students to jump into the fight by volunteering for the organization’s canvassing and phone banking efforts.

“There’s always the need to get involved in some way,” Rouse said. “Everyone has to find their path and just go forward.”