As I've evolved throughout my Loyola experience, the meaning of community has become less of a noun and more of a verb. In turn, I've found myself in a different communal space each year.

While each year has brought with it its own distinct challenges, I have always been grounded by a core group of individuals. My freshman year roommate, Victoria, continues to be one of my dearest friends. Despite her year abroad and early graduation, we still Factime regularly, sharing hurts and excitements just as we did in the early days of our Loyola experience. She has always encouraged me to learn not from my ideals but from my mistakes, to be my own hero and role model, and to always strive for purpose not perfection. 

When I first came to Chicago I felt overwhelmed by crossing Sheridan. Simple as it sounds, small-town Indiana had no traffic and there really was no need for a walk sign. Thus, my beginning explorations of the Chicago-land sprawl started small, bordering the limits of East Roger's Park and not going much further than Michigan Avenue and Water Tower Campus. The simple experience of being present in the city was enough for me. Yet, I came to realize that my CTA card took me much further than these parochial limits. Cozy coffee shops became my encouragement followed by the rich foods of Devon and Argyle. Alternative Break Immersions taught me the beauty of being present, of being courterously curious, and of appreciating relationships. Interning with Senator Steans, I came to know the broken system of nursing homes in Chicago, espeically those on the Northside, visiting homes of various maitenance throughout Edgewater and Roger's Park. Though, I also saw the hurt and pain of a minimum as compared to a living wage that was brought to life by my internship with ONE Northside. These experiences, in turn, have shown me that communities are not simply groups of people who live in the same area, work in the same offices, and frequent the same grocers. No, community implies the shared and collaborative challenges and triumphs too. It is through this lens of community, as a continum of experiences and action, not just space, that I now view my own home in Indiana. 

____________________________________________________________________________

The reflection below was written at the beginning of my second semester at Loyola...and it remains a reminder of how much one can grow in such a short period of time with the right people and community...

____________________________________________________________________________

To the Young Woman with the Brown Stuffed Rabbit on Her Bed,

Your decision to attend Loyola was one of the most exciting and liberating choices you’ve ever made. When you first toured campus and saw the IC you knew Loyola was your place. You yearned for the city life in a place where no one knew you. However, when the day of your move-in came you clung to your brown stuffed rabbit and quietly cried while staring out the window of the car. Your hands shook as you unpacked all of your favorite t-shirts and your new picture frame. As you walked your dad to the parking garage to say your final goodbye you grabbed your sunglasses and put them on so he couldn’t see how sad your eyes were. You didn’t realize the immensity of your new life.

                As you settled in to your room it became easier. That Friday night when you went on the Taste of Chicago Tour with your roommate you started to realize that college wasn’t so bad. You just needed to make friends. Life continued to get better when you met one of your closest friends, Maureen, on the tour of Chinatown. Then classes started and you fell in love with your Exploring Fiction class. You consumed yourself with homework and babysitting. Life was becoming better, but you were living your life in between the lines at all times. You hardly attended any floor outings or freshman get-togethers.

                It all changed though when you applied for the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington D.C. You had no real idea what it was about, but on a whim you typed up your application, and you were accepted. You were so intimated to go to the meetings not knowing anyone; knowing you were a freshman you felt especially vulnerable. But, the meetings proved to be fun and when the time came for you to actually fly out that terribly early and cold Saturday morning you were full of excitement. That weekend proved to be your favorite weekend of college for a number of reasons. It was the most formative experience you’d ever had at the point in your life. It gave you direction and purpose as you realized your passion for not just service but social justice. Several days later when you were planning your next four years at Loyola you realized that you wanted to minor in political science and urban studies. You felt empowered to change the world on a broader level than you ever expected.

                When Thanksgiving break came you were so excited yet so sad to go home. None of your friends would be with you as they were all spending the holiday in different parts of the country. You felt suffocated in the house after a few days, and you realized it was because you had grown into someone different in those first few months of college. Your political views were no longer perfectly aligned with your family’s; you had the chance to see the world in a different way, and as a result, you were finding that you viewed the world differently. It was a break that was much needed, but when you came back to campus it felt like a relief to be in a place where people had open discussions.

                It’s safe to say that by the end of your first semester you were no longer that girl who clutched on to her stuffed brown rabbit the first day of college. In fact, you laughed at that ridiculous rabbit. You had grown into someone who felt like they had found their place in the world. Granted, you still have loads of growing to do, but for the first time in your life, you realized that Loyola was giving you the opportunity to cultivate rather than manufacture yourself.

It is a process, an ever-evolving one at best…it never stops and neither should you as you continue your education in the coming years at Loyola.

An Ever-Evolving You,

Natalie