ASC VIII (2016-17)

Community
Tommy Codd ‘12 | St. Louis University ‘16

Of the four pillars of the ASC, community strongly resonates with me. The Jesuit community is one of the most important communities to which I belong. The ASC program has allowed me the chance to reconnect with this community that has meant so much to me. ASC members help out in many areas of the school, including teaching SJPP, assisting with the retreats and Masses for Campus Ministry, and doing site visits for senior service sites. Helping out in this way gives us the opportunity to forge relationships with students, while also allowing them to truly feel our presence in their lives. We also have the chance to build relationships with the faculty. Once a month, we eat dinner with some of the faculty and have discussions about various topics that help continue our formation as individuals and as members of the overall community. We also have dinner and Mass with the Jesuits every week. These opportunities give us the chance to reflect on our places in the Jesuit community and to see how important this is in our lives. Additionally, they serve the purpose of helping us forge new relationships, to perhaps rekindle relationships with old teachers or mentors in a new way. To me, community is what makes Jesuit the place it is, and I am thrilled that I get to come back to a place that has had such an impact on the person I am today.

Service
Brendan McDonald ‘12 | University of Arkansas ‘16

It comes as no surprise that one of the four pillars of the Alumni Service Corps program is Service. It is one of the things that attracted me to the ASC program. I wanted to return to Jesuit to serve the community that has helped form me into the man that I am today. I have been very fortunate to work on and lead a variety of service projects this year. However, to only talk about the service projects with which we are involved would only paint half the picture. Service is a key component of an ASC member’s everyday life. We serve as teachers, coaches, and moderators. Throughout the day we fulfill various tasks and jobs throughout the school, filling in whenever and wherever we are needed. I am honored to call myself a member of the Alumni Service Corps, and I am grateful for this opportunity to serve Jesuit.

Spirituality
Ryan Grant ‘12 | University of Arkansas ‘16

In the same way Jesuit consistently provides a holistic and fulfilling experience for its students, the Alumni Service Corps program has proven to be a one-of-a-kind opportunity for Jesuit’s young alumni. As enthusiastically as Jesuit encourages spiritual growth, college life can prove to be just as enthusiastic in discouraging it. Perhaps of all the aspects of the program and opportunities for personal improvement, I most looked forward to returning to a place that is so proactive in facilitating one’s growth in his faith. True to classic Jesuit form, the ASC is designed to provide development opportunities in a multitude of ways so as to encourage balanced, well-rounded growth. To that end, I have had the opportunity to prepare for and participate in several Kairos retreats as a faculty leader, share a personal witness in a school-wide prayer service, and enjoy weekly Mass and dinner with the Jesuit priests of our community, among many other opportunities. These spiritual interactions, occurring as they have on such a variety of levels, have allowed me to focus on exploring, revitalizing, and embracing my faith life as a young adult. My immersion as a daily, integral part the Jesuit community has facilitated my spiritual development both as a mentor and as a student- with an emphasis on the development of the whole person. The ASC program is another aspect of the Jesuit community’s never-ending support for its members, where personal development is for everyone, not only the students, and I am honored to be able to contribute as a member of the program.

Simplicity
Cole Enmon ‘12 | Spring Hill College ‘16

I define simplicity within this program as the ability to live in the present moment with no expectations. Whether through not worrying about how we will pay our rent, or through sharing a meal on Monday evenings with the Jesuits at the school, our day-to-day lives are focused instead on what is important for this year: serving the students and the greater Jesuit community. We have been fortunate to be able to devote ourselves to others fully in many different areas of the Jesuit community, whether that be on the field, in the classroom, on Ignatian spirituality days, or in the classroom. Given this opportunity to live fully in the present moment has also opened up time in my day for self-reflection and how I cannot only better myself, but also better my ability to help others. The goal of the program for us to live “simply” during the year is a welcome break from our complicated world, and it gives us a chance to reflect on our futures as we serve in a place we all call home.