This weeks campus celebrities are somewhat of a dynamic duo. Liz Sohmer, a major in Leadership, Ethics, and Organizational Sustainability (LEO) with a double minor in faith-justice studies and Spanish, and Gabby Rosazza, an International Relations major with a triple minor in faith-justice studies, economics, and family business and entrepreneurship, are best friends, roommates, and both involved with social justice issues! These two met the first day of freshman year and have been best friends ever since… look out for these two on campus because they are doing big things!
HC: Why did you guys choose to come to SJU?
LS: “It’s funny because a lot of people ask me this question in response to me telling them that my parents went to Villanova. I remember the day I chose to come to SJU was completely spur of the moment. I didn’t know I was even going to be touring campus that day until the morning of, when a friend told me there was an open house so my mom and I decided to get in the car and drive to Philly to visit. I had seen a couple schools the day before and was strongly considering them but I sort of just forgot about all of it since I had the feeling that St. Joe’s was where I was supposed to be. If I had to narrow it down to the main reasons I chose the school it was because it was a good size, I thought the Jesuits sounded nifty, and the campus was just really pretty that day.”
GR: “I actually applied to 15 schools up and down the east coast because I had absolutely no idea what kind of school I wanted. SJU was the last school I visited 2 weeks before the deadline to choose. Right when I got on campus I felt super comfortable, right at home, and I knew that Saint Joe’s blew all the other schools out of the water. Saint Joe’s was the perfect size, not too big and not too small and in an urban area. I made the right choice because I could not see myself anywhere else.”
HC: How did you first get involved in service?
LS: “I went to public school so my exposure in high school to faith and service was limited. The first time I willingly got involved in service was when I decided to go to Appalachia on an immersion trip with my youth ministry. From there I was drawn back and got more involved with other groups and positions within the youth group and had the opportunity to see and learn about the cultures in New Mexico and Guatemala. I knew I wanted to get involved in service at SJU so I signed up for PSIP and a service-learning class and wanted to take every opportunity I could. I found a few things that I really loved and wanted to invest my time in like being a service scholar in the Faith-Justice Institute, the Ignatian family teach-in and School of the Americas protest trips, konionia and going on APEX.”
GR: “I got involved in service because my First Year Seminar was called Social Problems and Change. I would go to the ARC of Philadelphia three hours a week to facilitate a “life lessons” class to adults with mental disabilities. That was a yearlong program but I also got involved in weekly service at West Catholic High School, Winter Immersion Program to El Paso, Texas, and the School of the America’s Protest in Ft. Benning Georgia. After getting involved in one activity I just started hearing about other great opportunities and decided to go for it and join! In high school I was never involved in long term service programs, but I realized after freshman year that building relationships is a much more fulfilling experience for both parties.”
HC: What has been your favorite part about going to a Jesuit university?
LS: “After being at St. Joe’s for a year and a half now and learning more about its mission and what the Jesuits are about, it’s one of my favorite aspects of the school. I love going to a Jesuit school because it has made me look at everything through a new lens. The classes have a more holistic view of the world and I see the idea of “living greater” through the people that I’ve met here through everything that is done on and outside of campus. It may be a bit corny to reference the Magis but you really do feel it here. The atmosphere of a Jesuit school, St. Joe’s in particular, is so unique and makes it a very special place.”
GR: “My favorite part about going to a Jesuit university is all the learning and growing that I have done outside of the classroom. SJU gives you so many resources to express your passions, whatever they may be. With my International Relations major I have been able to learn about history, economics, and political science and that has given me background knowledge of different issues. So then when I have gotten involved in the community I have a better understanding of the circumstances. One particular issue that I have gotten to be very passionate about is Immigration. Going to El Paso, Texas, a city located on the border, I was able to learn about the issues surrounding immigration. After our group returned we hosted a presentation open to the school to talk about what we learned and were able to lobby in Senator Casey’s office for comprehensive immigration reform. If it wasn’t for SJU’s support, I would have never been able to find my passion.”
HC: Tell us about your work with the SOA trip…
LS: “Well the trip is a peaceful protest/vigil to Fort Benning, Georgia to hopefully close down the military school called Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation’s and formally known as the School of the Americas. The school trains Latin American soldiers on U.S. soil and sends them back to their countries but in history, those soldiers have been responsible for a lot of violence in Latin America. I first heard about the protest in high school and tried to go but never could fully convince my parents to let me. Once I got to college, I figured I was 18 by then so I figured they couldn’t really stop me. I was able to go to Georgia last year to the protest and am able to help lead the team this year with my best friend, Gabby. It’s just really cool to be behind the scenes of the meetings and helping our group in the preparation to head down to something that is a truly exceptional experience. We’re heading down on Thursday!”
GS: “The SOA trip is a trip hosted by Campus Ministry that takes a group of students to Ft. Benning, Georgia. The trip is a vigil/peaceful protest specifically to protest for the 8 Jesuit priests that were martyred in El Salvador in 1980 for speaking out on behalf of the rights of the poor. The School of the Americas is a military academy that trains Latin American soldiers. The controversy is that many of these soldiers have gone back to their home countries and committed human rights violations in the past. The trip is to remember all the victims of violence in Latin America and a peaceful protest to close the school. It has been a pleasure to work with Liz and I am excited to be leading the trip this Thursday!”
Good luck to these two amazing girls and to the rest of the students traveling down to Georgia this weekend!