Community-Based Learning Blog

I learned in my sophomore year Chemistry class that a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction. The catalyst itself does not undergo any change, but without it, some reactions would never take place. This idea is easy to prove and understand if you spend a little bit of time in a lab with the right reactants.

When you change the context of this concept, I think it can be a little bit harder to grasp. Apart from its scientific definition, a catalyst can also be a person, event, or even a good book or movie. As I look back on my (almost) four years at Holy Cross, I realize that in many ways, CBL was my catalyst. While fundamentally the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning has remained the same, it initiated a transformation within me that might not have happened otherwise.

My first year at Holy Cross I was placed in Professor Ryan’s Montserrat class “Exploring Differences.” For the first few months of school, the mandatory CBL component of this class was one of my least-favorite parts of college. Up until that point in my life, I was a creature of habit and comfort zones. I could not handle that someone was asking me to change this part of my personality on top of all the adapting I already had to do that year, so I was very disengaged from the CBL experience and the idea of immersing myself into the community. However, after many conversations with Professor Ryan and CBL reflection sessions, this began to change. In the end, my weekly trips to CBL and my time in Professor Ryan’s class gave me the tools to find comfort in uncomfortable situations. More importantly, they provided the foundation I needed to be able to recognize the many injustices within our world and the courage to use what I learn in the classroom to respond to them.

Sophomore year I gained a new perspective when I became an intern in the CBL office. I facilitated reflection sessions instead of listening to them, and I became a mentor for certain CBL students who struggled in a similar way to how I did as a first-year student. Since I was no longer in a class that included CBL, I had a more independent role in my own experience at my site and in determining my takeaways from that year. My first and second years of CBL ultimately prepared me for the most difficult, yet most rewarding year of college: my year abroad. I felt ready to spend a year in Spain as a result of the awareness I had gained from CBL. By this I mean awareness not only of myself, but also of others and our surroundings.

While at Holy Cross I have focused my studies on Spanish and Pre-Med. As a Spanish major, I have learned how to effectively communicate in another language, allowing me to engage with people whose histories, traditions and ways of thinking are different than my own. Going abroad gave me the opportunity to experience people and places that are far from home. Taking Pre-Med courses has taught me the scientific knowledge I will need in pursuing a health profession. Throughout my time at Holy Cross, CBL has reminded me not to lose sight of the importance of respect for human life and dignity while engaging in my studies. As I move forward in life I will always carry this reminder with me.

Sometimes you do not realize the value of a story until you reach its end. As I enter into my final semester at Holy Cross, I want to dedicate this chapter not only to CBL, but also to Professor Ryan, Isabelle, Michelle, the other CBL Interns, and my friends. Thank you for the memories and experiences you have given me thus far, and for at one point or another being the catalyst that pushed me to get where I am today. I am forever grateful.

For the past year and a half as a CBL student and now an intern, I have had the opportunity to work with community partners at the St. Mary Center and the Worcester Transition Program.  At both sites, I have met so many amazing people and have learned so much from their experiences.  I truly am blessed to be a part of this community-based learning community.

At the St. Mary Center, I visited with a retired Navy Commander who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; a true American hero to say the least.  He ushered me into my own military career through stories of his time in the Surface Fleet.  Over the summer, however, he passed away in his early 90’s; an age I can only hope to reach one day.  At approximately 7:00 pm on New Year’s Eve two weeks ago, I was riding home from an early dinner with my family to celebrate another year when I received a phone call from an unknown number with a Massachusetts area code.  It was my resident’s wife who I had not spoken to in several months as she had a stay in the hospital and did not have any visitors.  In this phone call, she let me know that she was feeling better and was ready to have visitors again.  She wants me to be one of those visitors.  As I miss my resident, I am thrilled to finally meet his wife who he spoke so fondly of and tell her how much of an impact her husband of almost seventy years has had on my life.

With this phone call, I see an opportunity to realize how blessed I am to have found a mentor through Professor Ryan’s class, the CBL Office, Sandy Geller of St. Mary’s, and many others.  This experience has allowed me to begin to see the purpose of Jesuit higher education and the strong emphasis on community engagement.  From these experiences, I see what it means to care for those on the margins of society.  I am excited to continue to form these new relationships and help other Holy Cross students find and reflect on their own experiences in the Worcester Community.

As a new year approaches, I am given the opportunity to look back on my first semester as a CBL intern. Besides spending Saturday mornings at my amazing CBL site, the Community Harvest Project, I have been most active in working as a discussion facilitator with students in our CBL classrooms here on campus. I am lucky enough to hear so many stories of others who see the true value and experience that comes from working in and with the Worcester community. I have seen so much progress and success. In the first session, I was able to introduce the program and speak about my own experience, trying my best to express how extraordinary this experience can really be. By the next time I entered the classroom for discussion, I saw nerves starting to disappear as students had begun to master the logistics of their sites and get past any awkwardness. By the last session, I saw confidence and even a strong desire to continue this kind of work, even after their class requirement has ended. Through a CBL course, students have made memories and learned how to talk about issues of social justice. I am excited to see this circle begin again, with a new round of CBL classes, watching those that have taken classes before continuing their passion and watching those new ones see what all the talk is about. I have found that Holy Cross students hesitate to leave their comfort zones, but when given a push they will come back into our community on the hill with a new and better perspective, having found what I know to be such valuable lessons from Community-Based Learning.

These remarks were made by Michelle Sterk Barrett at the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) friendraiser on November 30, 2017.

I’m delighted that we are gathered here at the U.S. Presidential Museum in Worcester because I think the U.S. Presidency, at its best, is intertwined with the concept of service and service is at the heart of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps.

I believe our finest U.S. Presidents (and any elected representative for that matter) are those who approach their leadership as a form of service.  As Herbert Hoover said, “Being a politician is a poor profession. Being a public servant is a noble one.” Our ideal Presidents are people who have chosen to offer their skills and talents in service to our nation and our global society.  They are people who have heard a call to a greater good and are willing to sacrifice their own personal needs or inclinations to follow that call. This, of course, is not so different from what every IVC member has chosen to do. The IVC member similarly follows a call to sacrifice their own individual needs or preferences for the sake of a greater good.

Along with modeling a form of servant leadership through their own actions, our Presidents are often remembered for the ways they inspire us as citizens to think of the common good and offer our own resources, talents, and gifts in service.  Just think of John F. Kennedy’s well known line, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

In more recent days, we have similarly seen our Presidents highlight the importance of service to our nation.

Jimmy Carter, who devoted his life to service through organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center said, “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.

President George H.W. Bush laid the groundwork for Americorps in his presidency and focused our attention on the bright lights of selflessness in communities around our nation. During his inaugural address he stated, “We can find meaning and reward by serving some higher purpose than ourselves, a shining purpose, the illumination of a Thousand Points of Light…We all have something to give.”

Bill Clinton played a significant role in spreading both Americorps and service learning on college campuses (which is what my office at Holy Cross does) and said, “Citizen service is the very American idea that we meet our challenges not as isolated individuals but as members of a true community, with all of us working together.  Our mission is nothing less than to spark a renewed sense of obligation, a new sense of duty, a new season of service.”

George W. Bush stated, “We are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people.”

Finally, Barack Obama began his career through serving as a community organizer.  As President he stated, “That’s when America soars, when we look out for one another and we take care of each other, when we root for one another’s success, when we strive to do better and to be better than the generation that came before us and try to build something better for generations to come, that’s why we do what we do. That’s the whole point of public service.”

I believe we are at our best as citizens and as a nation when we think beyond our own interests and seek to be in solidarity with and in service to the suffering of our brothers and sisters.  While our Presidents ideally model this for us and call us towards such greatness, it is through organizations like the Ignatian Volunteer Corps that everyday citizens can put this calling into action.

So, again, welcome to our Friendraiser at the U.S. Presidential Museum in Worcester. I hope you leave inspired by the greatness that can exist in our nation when our leaders and citizens follow the call to serve.

Though many unforgettable memories have certainly been during the allnighters in Dinand, with stocked up sugary candy and last minute 12:59 AM pre-Cool Beans-closing coffee, I have learned above all that it is the people, not the grades, that will make your four years at Holy Cross what they are. I say ‘people’ generally because it is precisely the variety of people I have been fortunate enough to engage with that have fundamentally shaped my time here.

Most certainly, my friends, Dinand usuals, professors, and many mentors make my days brighter and more fulfilling. However, Holy Cross has provided a very special avenue through which to create genuine relationships. Through Community-Based Learning, I have learned more than I could have ever given, and importantly, I have felt – felt the pride of recently arrived refugees showing me photos of their families and homes in their respective home countries, felt the motivation of non-English speakers trying to master job-readiness vocabulary, felt the fatigue of young students who worked untill close every day of the week, and felt the pain of asylum processes, war-torn communities, and separation of families. It is through this touch of heart over the past four years that I have developed such close relationships of shared humanity – shared joy, frustration, and communion – with so many different people.

In this way, CBL has personified a critical aspect of Holy Cross’ mission statement that I had long overlooked. It emphasizes being for others, but importantly, with others. It is through genuine communion – a togetherness in shared humanity – that we develop care for those around us, particularly, those victim to unjust systems that do not provide for all. To be with others, inherently means your struggle becomes mine; your joy becomes my joy.

My CBL experiences have instilled quite deeply in me a personal responsibility to those forgotten and disadvantaged by modern normative economic and political structures, nationally and globally. I have learned first-hand that is through feeling by contact, through the touch of the heart, that injustice at the micro and macro level begins to actually impact you beyond the immediate. It informs how you spend your days, what you care about, who you spend your time with, and what motivates you to work for justice and equality, especially in today’s world with tragedy plaguing our every day. I cannot express my gratitude to those who have opened their hearts to me – on and off campus- and in doing so, opened my heart to them, and to this world.

To CBL and Beyond

As my four years rapidly come to a close here at Holy Cross, I’ve noticed myself reflecting on how I have spent my time here on the hill. The future can be frightening, and Holy Cross has given me a home and provided me with the tools I need to tackle whatever comes my way. The Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning has been one of those tools that has shaped my college career, and has given me a space to develop my skills, thoughts and passions. CBL has instilled in me priceless values that I will always carry with me as I continue my path of discernment. Within the office, we talk about the myriad of injustices facing different marginalized groups in our society, and it is imperative that we continue to have these conversations and act to mitigate these inequalities. These conversations and moments of experiential learning have cultivated a sense of urgency within me that I lacked before coming to college, but will now bring with me as I embark on the rest of my life journey.

Not only has CBL provided me with an encouraging group of peers on campus, but it has also given me the opportunity to connect with the greater Worcester community. I have learned just as much outside the gates of Holy Cross as I have within the walls of our numerous academic buildings. My role as a tutor in the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program at Ascentria Care Alliance has allowed me to share language, culture and memories with kids from different parts of the world. Through my time at Ascentria, I have been able to teach and to learn, to give and to receive. I will carry with me indelible memories of laughter and joy, and for that I am grateful. I am grateful that the people of Ascentria did not just open their doors; they opened their hearts as well.

My time both in the CBL office and in Worcester, have paved an avenue for me to develop my passions. They have provided me with a vocabulary and knowledge to discuss certain issues, and have planted within me the intellectual curiosity to always want to learn more. I will forever be grateful for my time as a community-based learning intern, as it has engendered a spark within me to strive to make this world a better place. Any time this thought becomes too daunting though, I always think back to Oscar Romero’s prayer, “A Step along the Way.” CBL has taught me that, “We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

On October 4th in the Hogan Campus Center, Father Campbell – a graduate of the class of 1987 and Vice President of Mission at Holy Cross – spoke about the intersections of our Jesuit Mission and social justice at the College. His audience was composed of, among others, members from Holy Cross Pax Cristi, Student Programing for Urban Development (SPUD), Multicultural Peer Educators (MPEs), and Community-Based Learning (CBL) students. Basing his arguments on biblical foundations, Father Campbell illustrated how the Catholic Church was formed with an initial emphasis on social justice. He then touched upon how many encyclicals starting with Rerum Novarum and ending with Laudato Si further clarified the church’s dedication to social justice work.  Moreover, Father Campbell explained the role of prophets in modern day society and how we can function as prophets through criticizing oppressive culture and energizing with new ideas and visions.  Shortly after, he closed with “Don’t just stand there, do something! Don’t just do something, stand there!”  In a sense, he demonstrated how, often, the most important type of service requires one stepping back and taking in what is happening around oneself, rather than trying to do everything all together.

After Fr. Campbell’s talk, the audience broke into small groups to dive deeper into several aspects of the lecture and how it applies to the student experience at the College of the Holy Cross. One area of discussion revolved around how Holy Cross students should not limit themselves to a brief two-hour window of service per week in the Worcester community while on the Hill, but should strive to incorporate service learning within their chosen career path after graduation and beyond. Moreover, several students touched on the difficulties of being exposed to the sheer magnitude of issues prevalent not only in Worcester, but across the country and globe. Students noted that SPUD and CBL sites have considerably raised their awareness of, and given physical faces to, the many social justice issues discussed in the classroom, and make them “much more real,” and “hit closer to home” — primarily for students coming from more privileged backgrounds.

Prior to this talk, we both had an understanding of the emphasis that is placed within our Jesuit identity to be men and women for and with others, working towards social justice. Through Father Campbell’s talk, we realized that these deep roots to social justice did not originate with St. Ignatius, but rather in the Bible, many years prior. In addition, we greatly appreciated one of Fr. Campbell’s answers to a question from a student in attendance after the talk, and felt that his response effectively highlighted the essence of his lecture. In short, the student stated that the concept of “charity” often has a negative, “superiority-level” connotation to it, and then asked how Fr. Campbell views the concept of charity. In his response, Fr. Campbell noted that for him, charity is simply “love,” and when acts of charity are done in this manner, they cannot be faulted for mal-intent, but out of generosity and genuine affection for one’s sister and brother. Through these two insights, we have begun to see how social justice is purposefully tied into our existence and curriculum at the College of the Holy Cross in order to form graduates with a strong sense of human rights and social equity within society.

My first semester at Holy Cross, I enrolled in Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies — partly because I wanted to have academic concepts to back up my feminist ideals and partly because I wanted to spend time in the Worcester community. As a first year student, I was pretty sure I wanted to study anthropology. I wanted the opportunity to hear people tell their own stories and learn about experiences different than my own. I wanted to immerse myself in the communities I would become a part of.

Now, as a senior anthropology major, I am so thankful that my 18 year-old self had the wisdom to start engaging with my new community immediately. My first CBL placement was in the thrift shop attached to Abby’s House, a local non-profit that provides safe shelter and affordable housing to women experiencing homelessness. After that first semester, I went on to continue volunteering, become a summer intern, and this past summer, act as both volunteer and researcher.

As part of the Holy Cross Weiss Summer Research Fellowship, I was able to spend 8 weeks of this past summer volunteering at the Abby’s House thrift shop. Along with my volunteer work, I interviewed 3 fellow volunteers and engaged in a self-examination, with the goal of writing a paper about how volunteers make meaning of their experiences at Abby’s House. I am still in awe of the richness of my fellow volunteer’s lives. I am grateful for their willingness to tell me their stories and for their commitment to Abby’s House. One of the women let me shadow her at another Worcester organization where she volunteers and told me how people always ask why she does what she does. “You don’t have to be here,” they say, “You’re not one of us.” Her response is always, “We’re all human.” Another finds strength and community at Abby’s House, which has carried her through challenging times — including a battle with cancer. My last interviewee grew up in a “developing” country and noticed social inequalities from a young age. She knows something about almost every one of our regular shoppers and never fails to greet each person in either English and Spanish.

CBL has given me a great gift in the form of an opportunity. The first day I walked in to Abby’s House, I took great care to not just give of my time and presence, but to look for what I could learn. That opportunity to be open and humble, to give and receive, has truly shaped my Holy Cross experience and the way I approach the world. I have formed relationships with volunteers, donors, and shoppers who are citizens of Worcester. They have taught me little things like the best place to get ice cream, and they have taught me important things like the complex social, economic, and political issues facing the city of Worcester. This lesson on how to approach service and relationship-building is something I know I will carry with me, far beyond the gates of Holy Cross.

This summer I had the opportunity to go to India to take a course with the Maymester program called “Social Justice in Context”.  I was particularly inclined to the lessons we had on violence against women because I had just finished interning at Daybreak, a domestic violence shelter in Worcester, for a year.

One statistic that we learned that really stuck me during our seminars was that 70% of women in India experience some form of violence. This was only a statistic until a guest speaker came in and told us about eight case studies of violence against women; until we visited Sumanahali, a leprosy clinic, and met the candle maker who was a burn survivor; until I went to Victoria Hospital’s burn unit and saw many women who were victims of violence. Although I didn’t directly work or speak with any survivors, hearing their stories and seeing their lasting scars from afar was very impactful for me. That statistic was able to really come to life.

Where I found hope was during my time interning at Vimochana. Vimochana is a leading feminist activist organization that fights for the better treatment of women as well as for overall social equality not only for women but also for the “backwards” caste.  Being around so many passionate and powerful women was my source of hope after learning about the extremity of poverty and violence in India. It was very transformative for me to see the power that a NGO had in making concrete changes in India, where patriarchy is the norm. The women at Vimochana were respected and overtime they have been able to hold police and even government hospitals accountable, all while helping out every single woman that comes to their organization in search for help and protection.

Since returning back home, I have been contemplating the question: What now? Now that I’ve witnessed the realities of oppression and violence in India, what is my role in eliminating these injustices?  Before this trip I already had a passion for social justice and I already cared about these issues, but the extreme nature of these injustices in India was painful for me to see. Seeing the humble homes of the families in the slums was one way in which the way I viewed reality was changed. The poverty that I am used to seeing in America doesn’t even compare to the reality of those families in the slums. After seeing this first hand, there is no way that I can come back and do nothing.

At Vimochana I came across a quote from a woman who was a victim of domestic violence that stated, “How can I trust my life in these hands that have not touched my heart”. Immediately I wrote this quote down because it highlights the importance of listening and forming relationships. In my life I want to work in a profession that allows me to help people. At Vimochana I learned that you could only help those who you listen to. Not only is listening helpful for you as a worker to allow you to learn what you need to do to help, but many times telling their stories is a form of treatment for victims of domestic violence. I think being a better listener is an easy way that every person can make a change in their own lives to better help others around them. I believe that if everyone cared more about one another, then we would be closer to a more just world. I know that is a very simplistic outlook, but I believe that the element of care is missing in our government, criminal justice system, and many other structures that contribute to real justice work being done.

Overall, I am truly grateful for the month that I was able to have in India. Every part of the trip was extremely important in opening my eyes to the realities of the world.

A Month of Gratitude

This April, I have been fortunate enough to have two wonderful experiences that have allowed me to show and express my gratitude towards the Community-Based Learning (CBL) Office. On April 4, I was able to ‘co-host’ the Community Partner Reception with Ms. Isabelle Jenkins, the Associate Director of the CBL Office. The event is a yearly tradition in which organizations in the Worcester community that partner with Holy Cross are invited to campus for a light reception, and are recognized and thanked for their collaboration with Holy Cross and the work that they do in Worcester. It is a chance to thank all the community partners at once, and express our gratitude for time and effort that they devote as they work to make Worcester a better place. This year, the event was sponsored by the CBL Office, Government and Community Relations, the Teacher Education Program, and Student Programs for Urban Development, and Elaines Peña ’18 and Sean Teebagy ’17 gave speeches to thank all the community partners. They both spoke eloquently and passionately about how grateful they were to have experiences in the community that helped shape their worldview. They also spoke about how thankful they were to the community partners for their collaboration with Holy Cross students, and for providing so many with the opportunity to experience Worcester and to ask the tough questions in the classroom that lead to so many meaningful dialogues. It was great to hear the speeches from the two students, and their words were such a wonderful ode of gratitude to the hard but necessary work of the community partners.

Later this month on April 11, Joe Donelan made a visit to Holy Cross. Along with several other CBL students, I was able to meet with Joe Donelan, the alumnus from the class of 1972 that gave the $1.2 million gift that established the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning – us! It was a wonderful opportunity to hear about his passion and motivation for donating and establishing the CBL Office. He spoke candidly about his experience here at Holy Cross, and his vision for the CBL Office and for students doing CBL work. I was moved by his continued passion and interest in seeing the CBL Office continue to thrive as well as his ability to ask tough questions and challenge us to think. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to reflect on my experience here at Holy Cross, and I found myself very grateful for my formative CBL courses in both my first and second year.

As a graduating senior, these two events have really allowed me to reflect on how much I have grown as a result of my engagement in and with the Worcester community, and they make me forever grateful for my academic and community-based learning experiences.