The past three years seem to have come and gone, where now I am in the most life-changing and hectic year in college–senior year. As I’m getting ready to figure out the rest of my life, I can’t help but constantly feel pulled back to this one very important aspect in my life – service.
When I first came to Cabrini College, I knew I wanted to write, get involved in my major and eventually use those skills to tell the stories of others. However, what I didn’t know was that I would fall in love with communications in an entirely different way, through the education of my heart.
Grounded in social activism and justice, Cabrini is dedicated to fostering the knowledge and education of injustices, the poor and marginalized in our world. We pride ourselves in being nationally recognized as a Fair Trade college and have close partnerships with Catholic Relief Services and other nonprofits in the local area that offer volunteer opportunities for students.
Service was introduced to me the first day of my freshman year in a communication class. As I reflect now, I can’t help but think about how much service has shaped me into the person I am today and continue to want to be.
But what is service? Service can be defined in many different ways but I truly believe it is a long-term need to help people help themselves, giving voices to those unheard and empowering the oppressed.
I have traveled to Guatemala, New Orleans and Ecuador through Cabrini and with each experience it is so incredible to see how service has impacted each of the communities.
In Guatemala the programs that have been created have taught students and have inspired them to become future teachers in their community. In New Orleans the support of Americorps has rebuilt houses under the supervision of local community members who were affected by Hurricane Katrina.
In Ecuador the love, kindness and patience of Rostro de Cristo volunteers have helped to bring smiles to the faces of Monte Sinai and hope to their hearts that someday their situations will increase.
This is service.
Not by giving up your entire life, which you absolutely can if you feel called to do so, but by understanding that we are all connected by one human family on Earth and knowing that solidarity is most important. Advocating for the long-run rather than for the short-term, willing to speak up for what you believe is morally just and to be persistent in not allowing the government to turn their back on injustices, is how change in society could be made through service.
It starts with us – the students, future teachers, mothers and community members. We are service and we have the power to create a sustainable change, if we allow it.