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Final Reflection

On suffering and hopelessness, Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker and an

icon for radical Catholicism, spoke of a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start

with each one of us. When we begin to take the lowest place, to wash the feet of others, to love

our brothers with that burning love, that passion, , then we can truly say, Now I have begun.

For me, a revolution of the heart entails the encountering of those at the margins of society with

openness and the acknowledgement of my standing and privilege in the same space. As a

spiritual idol and a personal namesake for myself, Days words are evocative of my formation

and experience at Loyola University Chicago. While I could have chosen from Dorothy Days

quotes, spanning from her rejection of this rotten filthy system to her idealization of Christian

subsidiarity, her remarks about human suffering and the call for humanity to be uplifting is

remarkable especially to this course. Generally, courses that are truly designed to examine the

world with compassion and intellect provide me the opportunity to discern societal concerns with

a moral framework. I initially enrolled in this course to not only gain a more formal

understanding of refugees in the Untied States, but to also recognize the importance of my

neighborhood, Rogers Park, in its endeavor as a sanctuary and a community for social change.

Throughout the semester, I was able to make meaningful connections with our partner

organizations, Madonna Mission and Catholic Charities, and I was able to incorporate the

Ignatian traditions of learning, justice, and faith into my interactions.

This unique course allowed me to pursue experiences with two Chicago-area

organizations leading the cause in refugee resettlement and community social change: Madonna

Mission and Catholic Charities. While both organizations offer different services and cater to

various populations, they share a collective goal to bring compassion and humanity into their
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respective work. Our course discussions on asset-based community development (ABCD) and

the complexity of direct service encouraged me to question my previous understandings,

especially as my experience with both organizations increased. Previously, I viewed service as

the moral high ground in confronting our worlds social concerns. I could not decipher the

difference between service and charity, or comprehend the complexity of social change. My first

exposure to service occurred in my first year when I participated in an Alternative Break

Immersion (ABI) to Grainger County, Tennessee. For me, I wanted to be fully immersed in the

Jesuit philosophy of service and to do something meaningful with my spring break. While the

experience met those personal goals, it left me wondering how the local community might

perceive my intentions and actions. These feelings of uncertainty and wonder followed me to my

second ABI in Washington, DC, but my concerns were further amplified as a leader seeking to

challenge and support my participants.

It was not until EXPL 290 that my notions about service had seriously been challenged. I

now see service and charity as not necessarily the superior agents for social change, but as the

complementary mechanisms. The ABCD project challenged me to view the communities of

Rogers Park and Edgewater as the purveyors for social change. Rather than seeking solutions

from an external perspective, it is essential to examine the communitys strengths and gifts, and

encourage their utilization in the promotion of the common good. This was clearly defined at

Madonna Mission and Catholic Charities. Specifically, in my interactions with the students at

Madonna, I was able to gain a better understanding of their daily lives in the community, and

how they are active contributors to local businesses and overall morale.

For the past three-and-a-half years I have tried to tailor my academic experiences to

resonate with Loyola University Chicagos Jesuit philosophy. Whether its a course on
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twentieth-century American iconography or environmental ethics, I am always able to pursue the

course material with a perspective focused on recognizing social disparities within the subjects

context. EXPL 290 is exemplary in this regard because of its specific focus on a population that,

historically, has encountered vehement antipathy based on racial, religious, xenophobic, and

nativist grounds. Contemporary social concerns, including the refugee crisis, embolden students

at Loyola University Chicago to become more compassionate members of society.

My experiences within EXPL 290 have magnified my connection and objective aligned

with the mission of Loyola University Chicago. Specifically, challenging myself to become more

aware of the neighborhood surrounding campus has fostered my understanding on the

communitys issues, with specific focus on the refugee population. Though I have been exposed

to the refugee issue in other parts of the country, it is important to acknowledge that no single

story is the same. And while EXPL 290 exposed me to the organizational structure of refugee

resettlement in the United States, the course also fostered my comprehension of the issue at the

local level. My direct interactions with clients at Madonna Mission and Catholic Charities made

the issue a reality. Whether I was tutoring Pahkatee in English or presenting a workshop on U.S.

government and politics to children, each experience demonstrated the humanity in the context

of service. These experiences inside and outside of the classroom also encouraged my pursuit of

justice for these individuals, especially in this politically-charged moment in our country. The

communities in Rogers Park and Edgewater are seemingly acceptable of their refugee

counterparts (and other populations), but this needs to be reflected universally.

My career interests in higher education stem from my experiences working with the

marginalized in Rogers Park and beyond. Specifically, I want to make education affordable and

accessible, regardless of residency status. For immigrants and refugees alike, their presence in
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the United States is rooted in a common hardship that seems to continue after their entry into the

country. Systemic racism and xenophobia discourage the participation of these individuals in

society. While racist discourse seems to become normalized under the current administration, it

is crucial that the populace rejects ideology motivated by falsified information and plain bigotry.

As a prospective educator, I can continue advocating for equity for refugees and other

marginalized people, and repress the legal policy and hateful discourse that is so antithetical to

my personal morality and obligation to social change.