On CAMPUS
A young man named Samuel gave me a tour, which started with their own Miguel Hall and St. De La Salle dining hall. Samuel showed me the sleeping quarters with small metal bunk beds topped with shabby two-inch thick mattresses. He asked me a question I will never forget. “Do people in the U.S. even care that we are here with barely enough food to eat?” I struggled for words because I could not lie to this 17-year-old. I asked Br. Steven about an unfinished building on the property and why three or four children have to sleep on each inadequate mattress. He explained that CDC had been awarded a €150,000 grant that was rescinded because of the economy. Its meager budget goes toward food and school fees first. CDC was the most difficult part of the whole trip for me. It was the complete opposite of Nyumbani, which we had seen only 24 hours earlier. Understaffed and underfunded, here the struggles of the children were obvious. I had seen Nyumbani and knew what CDC could and should be like. Br. Steven has such strength and dedication to work there every day. The next day, we saw Tangaza College, where the Brothers run Christ the Teacher Institute of Education (CTIE), one of Tangaza’s seven schools. In his office, surrounded by pictures of St. John Baptist de La Salle, Brother Paulos, director of CTIE, lit up as he explained how the Brothers prepare their students to be true educators who care for the whole student. The Brothers in Kenya have not forgotten their mission to educate the poor. Students such as Maurice attend CTIE on scholarship. These college kids are literally starving for an education; they spend their money on tuition, rent and transportation rather than on food. We also spent two days on an amazing safari in the Masai Mara National Park. It was by far the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed! We saw lots of elephants, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, lions and more. The sights are breathtaking and make you understand why the Kenyans are so proud of their beautiful country. I did not want to leave Kenya. The Brothers and Kenyans had taken us in and made us feel part of the Lasallian community. Living modestly, the Brothers work tirelessly for better education. In addition to the projects mentioned, they publish newspapers for the slums, work as campus ministers, teach and work as administrators in high schools, run religious education classes, and much more. Their concern and love for those they interact with is obvious. I was touched by how they each humbly bring their own personalities and talents to serve others. I went to Kenya without fully knowing what to expect. Little did I know that when we returned to New York, we would start fundraising for CDC and work to establish an alumni trip to Kenya, in addition to the student L.O.V.E. visit. I also did not expect to become so attached to Kenya. I realize more and more that I was on a Lasallian immersion trip that gave me more insight and respect for the Brothers’ mission and for the culture and struggles of the Kenyan people.
Matthew Bonney ’83 attends the Mentor Dinner with his mentee Michelle Parasimo ’11, an accounting major in the school of business.
Mentor Program Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary t he Ma Nhat t a N Co lleg e MeNto r Program marked its 10-year anniversary at this year’s dinner on Feb. 5. Nearly 200 mentors and students from the College’s schools of arts, business, engineering and science gathered to commemorate the milestone event. Guest speakers Jim Ryan ’60, former FOX 5/WNYW’s Good Day New York anchor, and Dr. John Lawler, former chair of Manhattan College’s board of trustees and one of the founders of the Mentor Program, addressed the audience. From year to year, the Mentor Program rotates speakers from different industries. Ryan, who has worked in TV and journalism, was chosen to welcome students from the College’s new communication department. “He gave us a wonderful explanation of broadcast history,” says Brother Charles Barbush, coordinator of the Mentor Program. “It was important for students to hear that he started from the ground up. Networking was how he worked up the ladder, along with hard work.” According to Ryan, the Mentor
Program is especially important for students who will graduate in the near future. “It’s a tough time to get a job in this economy,” Ryan says. “Every bit of assistance helps. The Mentor Program is wonderful assistance because it gives students the opportunity to experience the workplace.” Lawler described his experiences in the business world as an engineer and then discussed the program’s history. Since its inception, the Mentor Program has expanded to represent diverse fields. Currently, it aims to recruit more mentors and students in science and the arts. Interested alumni can sign up anytime to become a mentor. For more information, call Br. Barbush at (718) 862-7519 or e-mail charles.barbush@ manhattan.edu.
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