Q: Did you have a personal or a Jesuit connection to Scranton? Both? Neither?
A: Shunrang Chin: It was a personal and Jesuit connection. I just decided to come here. It looked like an amazing school. My dad told me that my uncle came here. My grandma’s first cousin and my dad’s first cousin.
It’s a family thing I guess.
A: Brandon Patris: I came to know Scranton through a graduate, a volunteer at Xavier in Chuuk. The awesome gentleman was Mr. Danny. Daniel Satterfield.
Also, there were a lot of Jesuit volunteers at our high school.
Another deciding factor for me was financial aid. Scranton had the best financial aid.
A: Jersaleen “Jersy” Waayan: The reason I came to Scranton was my teacher, Michael Wiencek. He was my teacher my freshman year. He shared his experiences here. It made me want to come here. It made me feel like I knew Scranton already.
I went to a Jesuit high school. I wanted to continue that Jesuit education. I heard the community here was welcoming and accepting. I think I made a great choice.
Q: What do you think of the community at Scranton?
A: Bailechesel “OJ” Tumechub: I would say people here in general are genuinely nice. I feel like they go out of the way to make sure I’m very comfortable.
A: Marjorie Jasmine Carl: My first year I was involved with the Living Learning Community, Cura Personalis. That’s when I found a lot of my good friends. I involved myself. They helped me feel very welcomed.
Q: What’s it like to share your culture with students here at Scranton?
A: Brandon Patris: Mrs. Huey Shi’s program has really helped. At a recent lunch I mentioned Scranton people being welcoming. Even though they didn’t know where we came from, they were enthusiastic about learning where we came from and what it was like.
A: Bailechesel “OJ” Tumechub: I recently told friends that back in my country I had a pet crocodile. When I tell them about my culture they’re really shocked. They don’t think people would have pet crocodiles. I tell them about our language, how our society is matriarchal, how undeveloped my country is. It’s a good feeling. I feel like I’m teaching them something about people. I’m informing them, but I’m informing myself. I’m reminding myself that I should be grateful for where I come from. I should embrace it. It’s a win-win situation.
