Author: ijenkins

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.

On Tuesday, April 4th, CBL Intern, Elaines Peña ’18 acknowledged and thanked our community partners for all that they do to serve as co-educators of Holy Cross students. Thank you, Community Partners! Read Elaines’ speech below.

First I would like to begin by thanking all of you for being here today and for all that you do in hosting Holy Cross students at your sites. Through my experience as a community based learning intern I have witnessed the impact that working in the city of Worcester has on the students here. Personally, community based learning has allowed me to find my passion for justice. Through classes such as Exploring Differences, Liberation Theology, as well as Women and Gender studies, students are able to read and talk about the injustices that occur in the world around us, but through community based learning everything we read about becomes a reality As students we are able to form meaningful relationships, with people at our sites, which inspires us to get to the root of the problems in our society.

I would like to take this opportunity to speak about the importance of CBL in my own life. Through my community based learning experiences I have been able to find a community in which I feel at home. Coming to Holy Cross from Boston, it is easy to forget the realities of life. CBL has kept me grounded on what truly matters to me and to the members of the Worcester community. I have had the privilege of meeting wonderful people through CBL at St. Mary’s, the Assumption Center, and now at Daybreak. When I was at Girls with Dreams, my supervisor, Anne Kane, had a profound influence on me. The semesters that I spent there were filled with kindness, love, and tremendous guidance. From the very first day I arrived until the very last day Anne trusted me and allowed me to grow as a person. I especially want to thank Anne for pushing me to take on a bigger role at Girls with Dreams by giving a presentation to the girls. Anne was able to see something in me, that I didn’t even know was there. My time at Girls with Dreams helped me grow in more ways than one, and I am so thankful for the time I got to spend there every week. It amazes me that Anne and all of the wonderful community partners take the time out of their busy schedules to make Holy Cross students feel so involved and valued at their sites. Although we are there to volunteer and help you all out, many times we are the ones who benefit because we learn so much.

The lessons we learn at CBL allow us to come back to Holy Cross and ask tough questions in the classroom in order to have meaningful conversations about the structural reasons behind inequalities. These conversations and experiences remind us what it means to be “men and women for and with others”- which is such an important part of the Holy Cross mission.

To end, I want to thank you all again on behalf of the Holy Cross students that participate in CBL and are engaged in the city of Worcester.

This spring 2017 semester, I decided to participate in Casa Bayanihan, a study abroad program in the Philippines that is rooted in four pillars: community living, accompaniment, spirituality, and academics, with a focus on immersing oneself in the social realities of the Metro-Manila area. I entered into the program with a sense of openness but definitely had expectations that something big would happen in my life. I assumed that I would encounter suffering that would immediately shake me from my roots and that I would have an emotional turning point that cultivated in a complete self-transformation. In other words, I mistakenly assumed that my transformation would occur solely from the heart. However, it is not possible to be touched by suffering with the heart alone. Within the past two months, I have learned how to encounter others and enter into their realities through both deep self-reflection and integrated classroom study.

The time that I have spent at my Praxis site, a community that I enter into every Monday and Wednesday with one of my classmates, has helped me to understand the need for academic exploration alongside cultural immersion. My Praxis site is called The Homeweavers Upward Looking Microenterprise Association or HULMA. It is a community of weavers in Caloocan City, Manila who create woven panels that will be used for products in the Rags2Riches (R2R) non-profit in order to support their livelihoods. During the 7 hours that I spent in this low-income community every week, it was very easy to be repulsed by trash, flies, the dirty smells, cramped houses, and crowded streets. However, reflections with my classmates during our weekly Praxis Seminar have helped me to not be ashamed by these initial reactions. The seminar has also given me the space to open up about my anxieties surrounding the language barrier as well as the need to be patient amidst awkward silences as we got to know the weavers of HULMA. Fortunately, in the weeks that I have spent in the community thus far, my perspective has grown from an initial resistance to one of appreciation and curiosity. While I have enjoyed my time in conversation with the weavers, my perspectives here have also been shaped through the questions and discussions that I have in my Theology, Political Science, Filipino (I have to learn Tagalog somewhere!), and Fine Arts classes. These courses have allowed me to enter more deeply into the community despite an initial hesitancy in order to form meaningful relationships with the weavers and to learn about the social realities of Manila.

After being in the Philippines for two months now, I realize just how important academic integration is for understanding the experiences that I am having within the community. In fact, learning with the head and experiencing with the heart go hand in hand with one another. I have been deeply touched by the generosity and loving care of the weavers, and I have been deeply challenged by entering into and spending time in a community that experiences such a high level of poverty. However, my studies have given me a more practical standpoint and a political, cultural, and social context for the realities of the weavers. While my time in the classroom has not necessarily provided me with solutions, it has helped me to understand their challenges, which is the first step in walking with them. In this sense, encountering another’s reality with the head has allowed me to immerse myself more deeply with the heart. The stories that I have heard have helped me to develop more compassion to walk with others.

As second semester senior year quickly approached, I got off the plane from an unforgettable week engaging with fellow Holy Cross students, Father Hayes, 67 children at the Be Like Brit Orphanage, and a welcoming Haitian community who all demonstrated genuine compassion, love, and a desire to truly ask more of themselves and each other. My week in Haiti ended, but the memories, laughter, reflection, and excitement serve as a catalyst for my curiosity in surrounding communities as well as a recognition of the importance of forming relationships with one another.

Just two days after arriving back in the States I joined 13 members of my graduating class, 6 members of the class of 2018, 11 members of the class of 2019, and 2 first year students at the Non-Profit Careers Conference held at Holy Cross. Together we explored the various aspects of running, maintaining, and growing a non-profit organization. We participated in “The Business Side of Non-Profits” workshop with Professor David Chu, learned “Non-Profits 101” with Michelle Sterk-Barrett and her husband, Tim Barrett, and “Reflected on our Gifts” with Isabelle Jenkins ’10. We were able to pick the brains of HC alumni at networking events, learn what it takes to be a community organizer, and ask questions on vocational discernment in the “First Year Out” panel of recent grads. Most importantly we were separated into interest groups to work with local non-profits in the Worcester area to tackle specific problems the organizations faced, and propose possible solutions. From the Worcester Tree Initiative’s fight against the Asian Long Horn Beetle to new marketing strategies to bring more volunteers to AVID’s college readiness tutoring program, we collaborated with and learned from our community partners to get hands on experience in the non-profit sector.

From beginning to end of the conference we were getting to know each other, our case study partners and strengthening our Holy Cross Network of alumni, faculty, and staff. Having participated in the conference for two years it became very clear to me that from year to year it wasn’t the lectures and PowerPoint presentations that stuck with me most, but the conversations I had with everyone in attendance. I didn’t recall all the answers from our Non-Profit 101 trivia game from the year prior, but when I met with Alumni for the second year in a row I fully remembered who they were, their vocation and the conversations we had on their life journeys. This really reminded me that our community engagement here on the Hill is what is going to impact our memories the most when we leave. Community-Based Learning has provided me with the skills to network, the ability to reflect on my service experiences, and the ability to recognize injustices and dig deeper into understanding the root causes of them. Lastly, CBL and all the people who partake in/are associated with CBL taught me the value of building relationships with our greater community.

Finding Power in Difference

This summer I worked at a non-profit in Boston, and every week we had different training days to teach us what life in a non-profit was like. One of the trainings that had the most impact on me, and I still think about to this day, was one that was all about privilege. One thing that came up was how marginalized people need to recognize the ways in which they experience privileges. As a Hispanic woman coming from a low-income community and student at predominantly white institutions since high school, this caught me a little off guard, to say the least. There is so much focus on how I am a minority in so many spaces, that I have given little thought to the ways in which I hold power, and am in fact privileged. Although I am a minority in many spaces, I also hold power because I am a citizen of the United States, I am college educated, I am straight, I am able-bodied, I am bilingual, I have access to health care, I have a roof over my head and I have a loving supportive family. It can sometimes be hard to recognize our own privilege, but I challenge you all to take a look at yourself, and recognize the ways in which you also hold power. Instead of placing so much focus on our identity as minorities, we need to use our privilege and our voices to create a more just and equitable world. Our difference is what makes us powerful. We are not a liability, we are an asset, and because of our situation we have so much to share with others who have different experiences. 

This training is so relevant to my work at CBL because my difference is what allows me to connect with the people that I meet. Through my years at Girls with Dreams, I was able to form connections with these girls because of the similarities that we shared. Like them, I grew up in a low-income community and could relate to the experiences and feelings that they had. In many ways they were able to see themselves in me. I think as a minority student and a woman I had a responsibility to allow these girls to recognize all that they could become. I wanted to share with them to not be afraid to dream, even if that dream seemed impossible. 

I started working at Ascentria in the first semester of my freshman year, through my Spanish 301 class. Being a tutor with the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program was my first encounter with refugee youth. It opened my eyes to immigration policy, the nonprofit sector, and my interest in working further with immigrant and refugee populations. I continued with the program for the rest of my freshman year and knew I had to go back in my sophomore year to further develop the relationships I had already made and learned so much from. I am now the leader of the tutoring program as a CBL Intern, and it has been so rewarding to have the students recognize me as a constant person in the program. I am grateful for my experience with Ascentria because it not only led me to apply to become a CBL Intern, but also to work as a JUHAN Fellow.

The Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network (JUHAN) Conference is a bi-annual event, and Holy Cross will be hosting the conference for 2017. The theme of the conference is “Principles in Crisis: Refugees and Responsibility,” which fits well with my interest in immigrant and refugee populations. I applied to be a JUHAN Fellow because I wanted to further my knowledge of global immigration issues, related problems, and ways in which we can respond collaboratively and effectively as a society. The fellowship has allowed me to work more closely with the CBL Office, and JUHAN Fellows from Holy Cross and other Jesuit institutions. We have worked to advertise the conference through various websites, flyers, and newsletters. I look forward to all that I will learn from continuing to organize the conference, as well as attending the conference and hearing from experts in the humanitarian field.

My experience as a JUHAN Fellow has cemented my passion for social justice and humanitarian work. In part, it inspired me to apply for a year abroad in Peru, where I know I can pursue these passions. I know that no matter what I choose to do in the future I will have a mindset for humanitarian concerns and injustices because of my work with Ascentria, CBL, and JUHAN, and I am very grateful for all of these opportunities.

Afternoons With Sister Mary: The Life Lessons A Nursing Home Taught Me

What do a college student and an 80-year-old nun have in common? More than you’d think.