Class of 2015

Theology major

Business Administration, Catholic Studies, & Pastoral Leadership minor

As part of Social Justice Internship and Grant program through the CEL, I interned with the volunteer relations department at Catholic Charities. I helped to organize volunteers and serve clients at the Tuesday Night Supper, a program that provides a hot meal to 130 men, women and children. This experience gave me a valuable opportunity to incorporate what I was learning in the classroom into a hands-on experience. I mixed my interests of theology, service, and nonprofit administration. As I engaged the Chicago community, I experienced firsthand social justice issues such as homelessness and hunger; the encounters with clients challenged me to develop my ministry style in response to social injustice. Seeing the diversity and scope of the clients that Catholic Charities serves forced me to think about my method of ministering and how I can be a presence or advocate for them. My experience at Catholic Charities gave me background in nonprofit administration as well as a push to be more civically engaged in combating the social injustices of society.

During my internship, I gained valuable professional skills and developed a mindset rooted in civic engagement and social justice. As an employee, I learned new organizational and communication skills. I became more comfortable with public speaking and working with a team. As a student, I learned about community organizing, civic engagement, and leadership. My mindset shifted outwards toward a need to serve my community in search for justice. Using the ePortfolio in class and as a Peer Mentor, I was challenged to reflect deeply and thoroughly on my experience. It also pushed me to be more creative in how I present myself and my experiences. The ePortfolio supplemented my reflection experience allowing me to see the detailed connection between my classwork and my internship.

Experiential learning gave me direct work experience, affirming my decision to work in ministry. More so, the ePortfolio program allowed me to be contemplative in action, to learn from my experiences in order to better serve my community. Inspired by my involvement in the ePortfolio program and my Jesuit education, I have continued to practice reflection in hopes of better recognizing the call to be an agent of social change. More so, the work experience propelled me into my professional work as a campus minister and teacher. My experience with the Social Justice internship was one reason I chose to do a year of service. I felt pushed to live simply and immerse myself in a diverse community. I wanted to carry out the values I had learned from my experiential learning classes - compassion, community organizing, and radical hospitality. I spent a year serving at Cristo Rey Boston High School as a teacher's assistant and campus minister. I have used what I learned from experiential learning in order to better serve students with whom I'm working. I'm starting a graduate program in Theology and Ministry at Boston College beginning in the fall. I will continue to see connections between my class work and my work experience because of Loyola's emphasis on experiential learning.

Learning Portfolio: https://w.taskstream.com/ts/hoch5/MyLoyolaExperience.html