In the fall of 2013, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work as a Loyola Social Justice Intern at Misericordia, Heart of Mercy, where I helped care, guide, and teach adult and senior residents with neurodevelopmental disabilities and physical disabilities how to improve on their computer skills, writing skills, art skills, and social skills. Interning at Misericorida, Heart of Mercy was a journey, an obstacle, and a blessing. I came to Misericordia clueless of what to expect, yet I had dreams and plans of what I wished to do at my site. I was nervous during my first week, since I did not know anyone there but my supervisor, Tina. However, I can honestly say that I was welcomed with open arms. I was able to develop very close relationships with instructors, supervisors, and most importantly, the residents. I was able to develop new skills with the help of everyone at Misericordia. I was able to grow and have a better understanding of leadership development, community development practice, and civic engagement.

Many envision a leader as a person who already had leadership skills, but it is the community that makes the leader. While working as an intern at Misericordia, I learned about leadership development by loving, forgiving, and trusting. I learned that by loving and caring for these residents, it led to trust and forgiveness because residents were able to see all that one did for them. By caring for residents’ mental health and physical health, residents were able to trust the workers at Misericordia and look up to them. By developing relationships with many community members, as a leader, one is able to practice and have a sense of community development. As a leader, it is important to: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. By using those five practices, one is able to develop and strengthen a community. 

At Misericordia, we placed a high value on the importance of being a “community believer,” someone who is able to take responsibilities, have a close connection with others, and ensure a good quality of life. Throughout my eight months at Misericordia, I valued those four qualities, and I became a "community believer." Through leadership development, community development, and civic engagement, I was able to learn and develop new skills, which I hope to continue using to serve the public good.

At Misericordia, I was able to have better communication skills. Through active listening, I was able to listen, comprehend, and understand the residents. I was able to hear their needs and have their needs met. Aside from communication skills, I was able to develop interpersonal skills. I was able to have more empathy when working at Misericordia. I was able to put myself before others. Misericordia made me very passionate in serving other that I hope to continue doing it all my life. Without having passion in one’s own work and interests, one is not able to work with the best of their ability. 

While I was interning at Misericordia, I was given the opportunity to be a part of the McNair Scholars Program and submit an independent research project by the end of the summer. The McNair Scholars Program provided valuable skills, training, and coursework in research design. For my research project, I, along with the help from Dr. Colleen Conley and her graduate students, examined the effects of ethnic minority status and college generation status on mental health, academic performance, and perceived social support.

Aside from encouraging underrepresented ethnic minority groups to conduct research, the McNair Scholars Program encouraged first-generation college students and students from underrepresented groups to pursue graduate school. As a first-generation college student and underrepresented ethnic minority, my educational pursuits were limited, and graduate school was never seen as an option. I also felt alone in my academic struggles. However, I was able to receive emotional support and companionship from a diverse group of peers and mentors who experienced similar circumstances. Through mentorship and peer support, each and every one of us realized our worth. Through my McNair cohort, my second family, I learned, “For those who say you can’t, McNair says you can!” After having the opportunity to work on a research project as well as make friends along the way, I gained an interest in working with ethnic minorities, since many are susceptible to poor mental health and poor academic achievement, especially during college and emerging adulthood.

Because of my experiences with Misericordia and the McNair Scholars Program, I gained knowledge about diversity. Diversity involves distinct mechanisms of race, class, ability, ethnicity, culture, and gender that operate in society. These factors frequently lead to a number of social disparities, yet these linkages are often overlooked academically. It is important to implement topics regarding diversity in education, specifically through engaged learning courses and co-curricular experiences. Through Loyola's engaged learning courses and co-curricular experiences, I transformed into a person of solidarity with hopes to one day take responsibility for the real world. Loyola, as a whole, influenced me to act for the rights of underrepresented populations through social justice and cultural awareness.

As someone who wishes to one day become a mental health practicitioner, it is important to become socially responsible mental health professionals. One must engage within communities and listen, empathize, and work in solidarity with individuals who are socially at a disadvantage. One must develop a social consciousness in order to live in a society without ignorance, so one day, there will no longer be social injustices among underrepresented, disadvantaged, and diverse groups.