Q. You participated in a recent pilgrimage to El Salvador. How has that and similar experiences influenced your work today and your commitment to the Jesuit mission?
“I had the chance back in 2010 to do an ISP trip to Mexico City... accompanying a group of students to serve young girls in Mexico City who either had families who couldn’t afford them or who had been abandoned. I learned a lot about myself, about our students and about social justice issues in the world. After having my three children, I was ready to go on another ISP trip when the pandemic occurred. In September of 2022, when the email came about the El Salvador opportunity, I jumped on it.
The Jesuit Center and the wonderful folks at Crispaz in El Salvador led the trip. We visited places that connected me with the Jesuit martyrs, we stood in the very chapel where St. Oscar Romero was killed, and we spent time with the beautiful, hopeful Salvadoran people. Coming home, there was so much more to the pictures that are on the wall as you walk from the second floor to the third floor (in the DeNaples Center). They held much more meaning….
I came back from the pilgrimage and told Father Marina that I thought I needed to move because my gifts and talents could be used better there – many Salvadoran people don't even access to clean water and the children are stopping school so early. Father smiled and encouraged me ‘to think about what God wants you to take out of this experience. Perhaps you need to look even more intentionally to the margins. You need to look more to the corners of our campus for students who don't have a voice, for students who are struggling in some way and don't have advocates and families.’ He was right!”
Q. How does mission influence your work in Student Life?
“The Catholic and Jesuit mission of the University is one of the things that has led me to remain here long after I anticipated returning home to Pittsburgh! The idea that here we’re able to talk about faith in a way that I wasn't able to at prior institutions is meaningful. I love the idea of finding God in all people and things, and encouraging students to do so as well. I appreciate that so many in our community want to lead lives of service. Above all, I love working with a team of people in Student Life who infuse cura personalis into their work with students whether they work in Residence Life, University Police, the wellness areas, the Cultural Centers or another area of Student Life. The mission of the University is beautiful and animates this special community!”
