This weeks Campus Celebrity is not only involved on campus, but passionate about everything she does. This year, she is one of the leaders for APEX.
Meet Annie McAward.
HC:What year are you?
Annie: I am a senior.
HC: What is your major?
Annie: Middle School Education major
HC: Where are you from?
Annie: Long Island, NY
HC: What are you involved with on campus?
Annie: Alpha Gamma Delta, Weekly Service, Apex
HC: What is your favorite thing about SJU?
Annie: My favorite thing about SJU is our campus. Not only is it beautiful, but, for me, it is home. Over the past four years, the grounds at SJU have become a place of comfort largely because of the students who are so welcoming. I love spending time on campus talking with friends and professors.
HC: What is your favorite memory so far?
Annie: My favorite SJU memory was when one of my Jesuit professors, having observed me being upset in class, inquired if something was wrong. After learning that a family member of mine had just passed away that same day, he dedicated the daily mass to my family. I was truly touched by this professor’s sensitivity and generosity as he genuinely cared about my welfare and my family’s sorrow. To me this proved how the SJU faculty really makes an effort in getting to know and understanding their students.
HC: Have you had an internship? or studied abroad?
Annie: Yes, I am student teaching right now, which technically is an internship.
HC: Have you studied abroad?
Annie: I studied abroad for a semester in the most amazing place in the world, Galway, Ireland.
HC: What are your career plans?
I plan to pursue my Masters in Special Education and Literacy and then teach in a middle school back home on Long Island.
Appalachia
HC: How many years have you participated in Appalachia?
This coming trip will be my third Appalachian Experience.
HC: Why did you choose to participate?
Annie: Community Service is one of the major things that drew me to SJU. As a prospective student, I learned about the Appalachia Experience and knew that it was something that would challenge me to “make a difference.” Then this year, that challenge evolved into being a trip leader as I try to provide a similar experience for other students. My “Appalachia Experiences” have truly been formative – – encouraging me to seek opportunities to make that difference.
HC: What sites have you gone to? How have your experiences been?
Annie: I have actually been to the same site twice, which is very rare! I have been to McKee, Kentucky both my sophomore and junior years. McKee is a wonderful little town and like most villages in the Appalachia mountain region, it is a coal mining community. The residents of McKee were the highlight of both trips as I spent hours talking to them about anything and everything. My goal every Appalachia trip is to give the people I meet a reason to smile. I know that one week down there is not going to solve the hardships they face but making a person smile is changing the way they perceive their life and that could make a small but lasting difference. In reality, painting their kitchen or organizing their house, are just minor things relative to the challenges they face each and every day. We really go on “Apex” with the goal to heal the hearts of the people of Appalachia, not necessarily solve all issues of their daily existence. This year I will be going to a new site in Robbins, Tennessee. This site is affiliated with Appalachia Habitat for Humanity and we will be working with the people of Robbins, Tennessee building houses, restoring pride in the community, making them smile to healing their hearts.
HC: Give us a sense of the community each site group feels when returning back to SJU.
Annie: The week down in the Appalachia region is only the beginning to the adventure! Spending two long van rides, preparing meals, working on the sites, reflections, and staying up all night talking, build the foundation for friendships beyond the trip. Once back at SJU each group continues to grow and nurture bonds made during the week. Free period at the Perch, dinners at the leaders’ houses, late night softball games on Finnesy Field are some of the activities that my groups have done in the past together after returning from Appalachia. The friendships and bonds that are born in Appalachia continuously grow and enrich our campus by bring back the excitement from the trip.
HC: Describe what being a leader this year means to you. Are you a leader with anyone else?
Being an Appalachia leader is an honor and a lot of responsibility. Personally, I have never been so touched as when I was asked to be a leader. I immediately became nervous that I was not the most qualified, knowing that there were many other talented participants that would make great leaders. In the months leading up to the trip, the leaders work together to prepare. During weekly meetings beginning in the Fall Semester, the coordinators along with Matt Fullmer (shout out to the man himself, Fullmer!!) work really hard to prepare the leaders for any situation that might arise on the trip, as well as, organize all the other logistical considerations. After all this training, I have a lot more confidence in myself and that this year’s trip will be a special experience for all. I also have a great co-leader who has been my knight in shining armor throughout the entire process.
HC: Describe anything else about Appalachia you would want future participants to know about.
Annie: Having an Appalachia experience through SJU is a must! I think that “community service” it is a dimension of SJU that truly defines its students. SJU is a university where the students actively participate in service throughout the year. The Appalachia Experience is a trip that gives participants a sense of community, a chance to serve others and an opportunity to explore their spiritually. I can honestly state that the “rewards” I have received from my experiences in Appalachia far outweigh the “sacrifice” of foregoing doing something else during my Spring Break.
Good luck to Annie and all the fellow SJU students embarking on Appalachia this upcoming spring break.