Author: ijenkins

With just two weeks to go, the deadline (3/12/18) for the CBL intern application is approaching quickly.  Take a look at the CBL Intern webpage on the Donelan Office website to see specific responsibilities and qualifications for the CBL internship position.  If you have looked there and still want to know a bit more, here are a few things to think about if you are still on the fence, working on your application, or have already submitted it:

Should I apply?

The CBL intern role is a unique experience of campus leadership, community development and personal growth.  CBL interns have a variety of responsibilities, allowing students with many different interests to grow and to serve in diverse ways.  As an intern, in addition to staying connected to a CBL site in Worcester, you can expect to lead discussions and reflections with current CBL students, to hold office hours and assist the Donelan Office staff with different tasks that may come up, to work on marketing for the Donelan office, organize events, and/or to help coordinate the Non-Profit Careers Conference and more. So, there is plenty of room for creativity and a diversity of talents and interests. While different interns’ responsibilities may vary, there are some consistent aspects of the role that you should consider when deciding whether or not to apply.

While discerning whether or not this might be a good role for you:

• Think about your leadership skills and style (What skills do I have? What skills do I want to build?)
• Think about your time commitment (Being an intern is a serious commitment and you want to be reasonable about your other commitments so as not to stretch yourself too thin and rob yourself of the depth available to you and to others in your experiences and relationships)
• Think about how you work in group settings (Much of the work interns do is done collaboratively with other interns, Michelle and Isabelle, community partners, professors, etc. What role do I play in group settings? Do I work well with others? Is that something I tend to find particularly challenging?)
• Think about why CBL (There are many opportunities for student leadership on campus, what about CBL specifically interests or excites you?)
• Think about what experiences thus far have prepared you for or led you to this position (What CBL courses have you taken? What have they meant to you? Have you had other related experiences? What have those meant to you?)
• Think about other experiences that you have had in class or in CBL (What have been your favorite classes? What have been the most challenging questions you have faced? What excites you or frustrates you about your CBL or other community engagement experience?)
• Think about how you wish to grow as a student and a person over the next year or several years (What role would being a CBL intern play in this, especially in relation to my other interests, goals, passions, etc.?)
• Think about your relationship to the Worcester community (Being a CBL intern allows you to engage in a unique way with the Worcester community. How do you see your role in relation to and/or as a part of the Worcester community? What would like that relationship/role to look like?).

Come by the office or reach out to any of the current interns to discuss the application process.  We love talking with CBL students or other students interested in this work. So, please reach out to any of us to talk about the process, our roles now or any other questions you might have.  The current interns have office hours throughout the week which are posted on Isabelle’s door (Smith 334), so come by and see us!

What is the process like?

Application Due March 12: First, you will complete the application which is available here (https://www.holycross.edu/engaged-learning/donelan-office-community-based-learning/community-based-learning-students/communi-0).  It is extremely important that you take time to reflect and to thoughtfully complete the application questions. Donelan Office staff and interns want to be able to see that you have put time and careful attention into your application. Also, make sure your resume is up to date and all of your relevant experiences are highlighted (even think about stopping by Career Development to review your resume if you have not yet done so). It can be stressful to reflect and to have to write responses to questions like those on the application in the middle of midterms, spring break, etc.  So, ask a trusted friend or professor to look over your application to tell you their thoughts before you submit it; or, bring it into the Writer’s Workshop.  Do not be afraid to use the resources available to you to support you and to help ease that stress a little bit!

Interviews (March 26^th -April4^th): After submitting the written application, you will hear back from the office whether or not you will be interviewed for the position.  Please, remember that there are often many more qualified applications than there are open spaces.  If you are not selected for an interview, it does not mean you are not qualified. Do not forget that there are still many ways for you to continue to be involved on campus and in the community and you can feel free to stop by the office or reach out to other faculty and student leaders on campus to discuss those opportunities.

If you are selected for an interview, know that that itself is an accomplishment. You will receive an email to schedule an interview with the office.  When you arrive for your interview, you will meet briefly with Michelle Sterk Barrett, the Director of the Donelan Office, and then you will meet with Isabelle Jenkins, the Associate Director of the Donelan Office, and one to two current CBL interns. Be prepared to discuss your application and to articulate once again why you would like to be a CBL intern and how you feel you would contribute to the program.

Interviewing can be intimidating, but this is an important part of the process and also a really amazing opportunity to hone your interview skills for future interviews you may have to do.  Most importantly, be authentic and thoughtful in your answers.  During the interview, the staff and interns are trying to get to know you better, so it is important to be professional and to take the time seriously, but take comfort in knowing that you mostly need to be yourself in that time.

Decisions (to be announced by April 18th): After the interviews are completed, the Donelan Office Staff and current interns will read through the application materials from each of the candidates and make final decisions as a group. After that, all candidates will be notified with decision letters (sent via email and campus mail). Once again, if you are not selected, it can be difficult not to be discouraged, but please know that going through the entire process proves a great deal about your abilities and qualifications.  You can apply again in the future if you are not a rising senior.  Additionally, there are other incredible opportunities to get involved with social justice, community engagement, and non-profit contacts on campus. Continue to take courses that excite you and enable you to engage these questions; and, take advantage of opportunities on and off campus to continue to grow and to challenge yourself.

This past month, I attended the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, DC organized by the USCCB. I attended as part of the Young Leader’s Initiative program along with about 100 other students from various colleges and universities. I was deeply challenged by many of the speakers, who helped me to identify and accept my own indifference towards the challenges of racism, climate change, and unjust immigration policies. Unfortunately, I have often shied away from fully owning up to this indifference because it always made me feel too guilty. However, I felt God encouraging me to accept this guilt in a healthy manner. As part of a global catholic community, I share in the joys as well as the sufferings of others, whether or not I am directly responsible for their occurrence. I walked away from this conference knowing that I don’t have to dwell on my indifference, but continue to take small steps forward each day towards a solution. My next right step is going to be to continue learning about issues that face not only our global, but local Worcester and Holy Cross community.

This CBL office has been a place at Holy Cross where I have been able to encounter others and their life stories that challenge me and encourage me to reflect on my own ways of living. This past year, I have witnessed the urgency of other CBL Interns in advocating for Dreamers and those directly affected by immigration policies. I have been drawn towards advocating for issues like food justice, and to continue to support Catholic Charities Worcester County. While it is easy to assume or at least ignore the fact that food security, nutrition, and cultural sensitivity in relation to food is not a concern for students, staff, and Worcester community members, it is a challenge that many people face daily. On days when I can get lost in my own academic bubble, I am inspired by my peers who take the time to simply notice and act on the needs of others. This was especially evident in my Leadership and Social Change course last semester, which resulted in many incredible projects like a college-accessible food pantry, a book drive for children in Worcester, and a program that paired college students with high schoolers needing to complete credits. The CSMG conference reminded me that I have a community in the CBL office, where I can continue to take this next right step in learning about the life experiences of others.

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.

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.