During my first year of college, I heard a knock on the door of my room. When I opened the door, I was offered a homebaked cookie and greeted by warm smiles from two people I did not know. When they introduced themselves, I found out that these people were my Companions, upperclassmen who volunteered through Campus Ministry. Companions came around once a week offering friendship and support. In addition, Companions provide faith-based programs and a retreat through Campus Ministry. Throughout my freshman year, I built a great relationship with my Companions as they influenced my Loyola experience and asked big questions about my passions and my faith.

In the spring of my freshman year, I decided to apply to be a Companion. I was offered a position and began my sophomore year as a Companion. Companions provide support and hospitality to first year students as Companions journey with the students looking for growth and self-discovery. As a Companion, I have seen my faith life grow and expand as I've been influenced by my residents and other Companions. While it is not easy to start the conversation, I enjoy sitting down with residents and asking deep meaningful questions about their faith journeys and their passions.

For the 2014-2015 academic year, I earned a position as a co-coordinator of Companions. As one of three student coordinators, I worked with our Campus Minister to plan and execute weekly Companions meetings. Our meetings aimed to build community in the team and provide Companions with the necessary tools to support their residents.

After being named co-coordinator of Companions, the program director asked another coordinator and me to develop a proposal to present at the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference (NJSLC). With the conference theme being "First to Love," we thought we ought to present on Companions being a way to minister to first year students. Our proposal was accepted, so we traveled to Boston College and presented a workshop entitled, "Companions Peer Ministry: First to Knock and First to Love." Our presentation gave an overview of Companions and provided a space for conversation about how to best recruit and support first year students in a campus ministry setting. Below is the PowerPoint that we used for our presentation.