Lighting the Way: Incorporating Jesuit Values as a Student Leader

incorporating

jesuit values

Lighting

as a student leader

the Way

you play with your soul as well as your body. ď ľ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Enhancing Your Education

T

his book was written by students for students as an introduction to Jesuit values from the perspective of their participation as student leaders.

The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. ď ľ Herbert Spencer

As you read each of the essays, we invite you to reflect on the theme to gain a deeper understanding of the Jesuit principles. Ultimately, our hope is that you are able to incorporate these principles into your studies and experiences so that you might get the most out of your education as a student leader.

introduction 1

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

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tepping onto campus for the first time, the number of clubs, organizations, internships and activities offered can overwhelm anyone. A student can be swallowed by the excitement of jumping in and getting involved. Focusing on one area to dedicate one’s passion can become difficult and extremely confusing. In the excitement of it all, we sometimes forget why we decided to get involved in the first place. We forget our purpose, both here at college and out in the world.

AMDG: four simple letters setting the tone for Ignatian Spirituality around the globe. Standing for “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” this became the motto of the Jesuits, to live “for the greater glory of God.” But what does it mean for us as student leaders? St. Ignatius once said, “Go forth and set the world on fire.” I believe that when he said this, he had AMDG in mind. We are all called to find our passion in this world and to bring God the glory—the beauty, the honor, the magnificence—through our passions.

But that “glory” does not end with my time in school. Through my involvement on campus, the skills I learned, the relationships I built, the lives that affected me (and hopefully the lives I affected) are all things that have had an impact at school, but will last well after graduation. I gain so much joy out of the activities, events, and organizations in which I’ve been involved—and for that, I am very appreciative. But as I explore my passions— finding what “sets me  M ia Hamm on fire” I realize that the glory is not mine—it belongs to God and the world around me.

Related quotes Do small things, with great love.  Mother Teresa

A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.  John Maxwell

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.  Albert Einstein

Follow your heart and make it your decision.

St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel; if necessary use words.” I believe that not only are we called to accept the love of God but we are called to then spread it to all people we come to know—through our actions and our love, not merely through our words. In this way, we come to know God’s plan for us, and we come to bring him the praise, glory, and magnificence He deserves, and it leads to a world that is ablaze with the flame of God’s love.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Emily Spring | Theology and Spanish

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Cura Personalis

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hen people do service, they often think they are participating with a service organization to “help people” or to “fix something.” When I first started to participate with a service and social justice focused group on campus, I too believed that participation with this group meant fixing a problem. But I quickly discovered it is about much more than that. It’s about compassionate engagement that calls us to lead with our hearts and allow God to shape our experience.

After four years of involvement with the movement, I found a deeper connection with cura personalis. It’s about serving and caring for other people—not because they are in need, but because they are human. This notion of care for the whole person has shaped my own experience in college, the work I have done through my various leadership roles, and what I want to do with my life after school.

When I went on my first trip through this organization, I worked with the issue of gang prevention in Albany, N.Y. While there, I met a 7-year-old boy. This boy dropped by the homework club where we were volunteering to pick up any leftover dinners available. The owner gave him a gallon of milk, a bag of chips, and six peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I asked about the boy and found out he came every day to get food and took it home to feed his five younger siblings. The image of the little boy and knowledge of his situation have stuck with me since that day.

Related quotes The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.  Harvey S. Firestone

She taught me that it’s ok to let down your guard and allow your players to get to know you. They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  Pat Summitt

The honorary duty of a human being is to love.  Maya Angelou

Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.

I cannot go back and change what happened in Albany. I cannot take that child out of his situation.

But I can take what I have learned and do something about it. Ever since I can  Bill Bradley remember, I wanted to be a teacher. The skills that I have learned in the classroom have provided me with the knowledge to teach. The leadership experiences I have had outside of the classroom have helped me develop my sense of how I will teach—with vulnerability driven by a sense of the individual person I work with.

Michal Eubanks | Early Childhood Education

Cura Personalis

Through my leadership experiences, I have learned that leading with attention to cura personalis is not just running a program to provide a surface level need, but serving the members of the community spiritually, emotionally, and academically. I am galvanized to teach students, but to go beyond the content. I will use my talents to communicate with, care for, motivate and be a source of comfort for my students.

5

Discernment

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s Christmas break approached during my junior year, it was time to begin thinking about what I wanted my year to look like as a senior. I lived with a group of my best friends and was involved in clubs that built my resume and helped me develop lifelong relationships. I liked the place I lived.

I liked the social life I had built over the past three years. But I felt like something was missing. I fell back on the Ignatian tool of discernment to help me make sense of my motivations. Why would I think about making a change if everything seemed to be fine? Because I knew I was being pulled in a different direction and I had to pay attention to what God was calling me to do.

After careful consideration, I decided to apply to be a Resident Assistant in my senior year. This new role meant changing my living situation and sacrificing time spent with friends. But I couldn’t deny the lasting consolation when I thought about using my gifts and talents to serve in the RA position. Based on my experience, clear passion when working with first year students, and ability to make others feel at home, many of my friends agreed that my personality fit what the position called for.

I was accepted to the Resident Assistant position, and I was proud. But I knew the responsibility was just beginning. As the year went on, I grew in my ability to be organized, handle stressful situations and developed skills I would not have acquired  Mahatma Gandhi otherwise. I made practical connections to my academic major and formed relationships that have helped me grow into a more authentic version of myself.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.

Related quotes Through discernment, we recognize the good and find peace in the decisions we make, progressing ourselves to the future that awaits us.  Christina Schneider

Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.  Julia Child

Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.  From the Principle and Foundation

written by St. Ignatius Loyola (paraphrased by David L. Fleming, S.J.)

It was important to use discernment as a tool during this process because it allowed me to practice healthy reflection and weigh all my options. Choosing between a variety of good options can be some of the most difficult choices to make. By prayerfully considering where I thought I was being called, I believe I found the place where I belonged—the place where I was able to live as the best form of myself and act out my call to be a woman for others.

Rachel Drotar | Social Work

Discernment 7

Finding God in All Things

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hhh, un otro regalo de Dios,” my Nicaraguan host mother exclaimed every morning as she awoke to the rooster’s crows, meaning “another gift from God.” She greeted each morning this way as she began the day’s work; always thanking God for what she had.

Before arriving in Nicaragua for my study abroad program, I became President of the African Students Association on our campus; a joy to my heart. I worked hard for this organization, so knowing I would be away for a whole semester did not sit well with me. It seemed like I was just getting started and now I had to leave.

Nicaragua had a beauty to its land and people, which allowed me to continue the growth in spirituality and kindred that I had come to love back on campus and even further back in my days growing up in my home country of Senegal. The Nicaraguan people were joyous, the music and dancing was rambunctious, the laughter was loud and heart-filled, and the fellowship was pure and unshackled. In other words, all was free. God was everywhere, in the food, in the people, in the trees and graceful wind that rattled through them at night.

God was all around.

You can’t see God, but seeing the effect God has had on so many people’s lives is just another way to find him in yourself.  M ichael Czopek |

Related quotes Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.  L eonardo da Vinci

It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.  Helen Keller

By approaching all situations in life with the purest of intentions, we truly allow ourselves to seek and find God in all things.  Taja Wilson

“Ahhh, un otro regalo de Dios,” I thought to myself while enjoying Sport Management the hot sun and deep blue lagoon waters. I realized I had been sent to Nicaragua for a purpose and now my love and understanding for my own African culture has grown beyond anything I imagined. For this I thank my host mother and my new found faith.

Ismael Tidjani | Economics

finding god in all things

When I returned from Nicaragua, I was happy I would be able to use my new perspective to lead in new ways—with new eyes. I had a new fire within me. With the faith my host mother helped develop in me, I knew everything would be well. I gave thanks to God and all He had provided. I have understood through these times my calling is to an authentic appreciation of life and the different opportunities it brings. We must be open and vulnerable to change. During the time I was away from campus, I was opened up to life in new ways. This helped me realize God is in all different corners of the earth waiting for us to grow in Him. “Vaya con Dios!”

9

Magis

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hen I arrived in the United States from my home country of Kenya, I desired to become a global citizen and soon realized there was so much more a Jesuit institution could offer me aside from the international education I had longed for. I began to find value in things outside of the classroom, and my passion for social justice deepened. I was privileged to be at an institution where I was able to feed my curiosity on women’s issues and learn how to become an advocate for change. This evolved into learning more about the Jesuit core values. I found meaning in magis as it drove me to not only want to do more but to be more. Magis, the “more” in Latin, means continuous quality improvement and was traditionally used by St. Ignatius to suggest a spirit of generous excellence. I have had the privilege of working with faculty and student groups in organizing a number of events and dialogues to raise awareness on issues related to gender, race, class, and diversity from which I have gained insight into advocacy for women.

As a result of my continued interest in advocacy for women, specifically the economic empowerment of women in developing countries, I sought out a fellowship that would allow  Jim Rohn me to follow my passion by spreading sisterhood around the globe for women, families and communities. I find value in learning concepts in class, applying them in the real world and most importantly sharing what I learn with others. These are the things I have been able to achieve from an education that focuses on Jesuit core values. Through my experiences on campus, I have become a better individual and I believe this makes me even more valuable in my society no matter where in the world I am placed.

Leadership is the challenge to be something more than average.

Related quotes The Latin root for the word ‘perfect’ means only ‘finished,’ not ‘without flaws’ … to be whole doesn’t mean we have to be perfect.  Sue Bender

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.  Steve Prefontaine

The word ‘perfect’ really means, be who God intended you to be; be fully mature and ripe. That’s a much more inviting concept than our usual idea of perfect, which is rooted in perfectionism.  Kathleen Norris

As I go about my day to day activities I constantly remind myself that if I approach all that I do with a generous spirit, I will be able to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way.

Josephine Lando | International Business and Accounting

magis 11

Reflection

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or the entirety of my time in college, I have been a student conduct officer. During my freshman year, I was a part of the University’s Peer Review Board, and for the past year and a half I have been a member of the University Conduct Board. Under different circumstances I could have easily been on the other side of the table, or have never even arrived at school in the first place. I spent my high school career drifting through classes and battling depression. Everyday seemed just as horrid as the one before. It wasn’t until I had found my place here that I could look back with true appreciation for the experiences I had.

Reflection is a powerful gift. It allows us to understand how we have arrived at our current  A lexander Eliot position in life and helps us truly appreciate how we have made it this far. It is much more than just remembering an event or a person. It is a conscious decision to look back on life and appreciate it for all that it is. When times get rough, it becomes too easy to complain about how difficult life is, to dismiss all of the help those around us give, to write off our accomplishments as insignificant and small. But that is when we need to reflect the most. My experience on the conduct board has helped shape my experience at college. As an officer, I typically ask students to reflect on the actions that led them to this point.

While I believe this is typically a good exercise for students, it also serves as a reminder for me to reflect on my experiences. I have learned we must not just remember the gifts life has given us, but we must look at these gifts and understand how we continue to move forward in life. As a student leader, my experiences engaging reflection have helped me shape my idea of how I will live in the world.

Personal answers to the ultimate questions. That is what we seek.

Related quotes Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.  Yvonne Woon

The unexamined life is not worth living.  Socrates

God knows us from within ourselves, not as objects, not as strangers, not as intimates, but as our own selves.  T homas Merton

Adam Manson | Psychology

reflection 13

Service Rooted in Justice and Love

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ecause of my unfaltering commitment to soccer and my love for the game, many people over the years have labeled me a jock. What people do not realize is my passions run far deeper than the game. I feel compelled to carry out service rooted in justice and love. Such service is not about building up one’s resume; it is not about feeling good about oneself. Service truly rooted in justice and love knows no rewards; it genuinely seeks to better the lives of others because we are all one family.

As Mother Teresa so eloquently put it, “We have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work. We have been created in order to love and to be loved.” I don’t think Mother T would mind me adding that we have been created for more than a world of athletics. As a 9-year-old who dreamt of being the next Mia Hamm, I would have argued otherwise. While soccer continues to play a large role in my life, I have since recognized the “greater things.” I am blessed with the opportunity to serve others and be a living message of God’s love.

I have learned that through service rooted in justice and love that our mission as Jesuit student leaders is to help, enable, and empower our peers through service.

As we were leaving, we were thanked by several staff members.

We appreciated their gratitude, but our team did not view our service as anything spectacular. We were given a gift: the opportunity to serve through justice and love.

Melanie Sinak | Occupational Therapy

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.  Mahatma Gandhi

Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.  Rosa Parks

Know yourself. Never forget where you came from, and reach back to help someone else come forward too.  Alpha Alexander

service rooted in justice and love

For the past two years, my teammates and I volunteered at a prom for adults with disabilities.

Though some of my teammates were not comfortable, they put their fears aside and were able to step out of their comfort zones for something bigger, the opportunity to serve.

These nights consisted  Markus Lasky | English of moments we will never forget: the smiles on our dates’ faces as we complimented their dancing, the gleam in their eyes when we told them how handsome they looked, and the look of elation as we crowned each of them Prom King.

Related quotes

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Solidarity and Kinship

Men and Women For and With Others

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orking on a team is always a challenge. If you’re anything like me, choosing to work alone is always the first choice. I mean, come on, we all know that if you’re working as a group there is always that one person that does the majority of the work. Being a part of an on-campus internship program focused on leadership turned me from being “Oh no, not me! I’m not letting an entire group take credit from the work that I’ve done!” to “Look at the work that we’ve all accomplished!”

I was placed on a leadership team with five other student interns.

As six students from varying years, majors, and leadership experience, we were separated into different groups and given the task to spearhead various programs. We all worked on our own individual projects and also worked together to make sure every event went smoothly. When one person needed help, others were there to provide an extra hand.

When some didn’t have the right words to say, others were there to speak up. When someone lacked the proper skills, others were there to supplement.

Sometimes solidarity means selling fair trade chocolate.

Sometimes solidarity is spreading the word about injustice.

And sometimes, solidarity simply means being present to one another, here and there, alive and dead.  A bby Anderson |

As a leadership intern, I learned that the importance to leading is following. I learned the importance of working as a team. I learned the importance of understanding each person’s strengths to support the needs of everyone. But ultimately I learned through solidarity and kinship with our peers, we learn from our companions and journey through life in such a way that allows us to be men and women for and with others.

Robert Nichols | Theology

I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.  Mother Teresa

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.  Helen Keller

None of us is as smart as all of us.  Ken Blanchard

solidarity and kinship

Being men and women for and with others allows us to understand not only our own challenges and accomplishments, but also Spanish and Theology allows us to understand those of others. By understanding others, we understand ourselves. In a diverse, open, and mutually respectful environment everyone grows to create one united goal.

Related quotes

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Personal Reflection Questions to consider

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam: For the Greater Glory of God

as you continue growing

What does “the greater glory of God” mean for me and how does it affect the work I do with others?

as a student leader

How do I incorporate AMDG in my life and among those with whom I work?

How do I distinguish the difference between selfish desires and what God is calling me to do or who God is calling me to be?

Cura Personalis Where have I experienced cura personalis from other leaders, staff, or faculty?

How has my experience of cura personalis shaped the way in which I incorporate it in my life?

Discernment How do I incorporate discernment in my life and in my work as a student leader?

How does Ignatian discernment aid me when considering options or choices?

Finding God in All Things Where have I found it easy to see God in my work as a student leader?

Where have I been surprised to find God in my work as a student leader?

How does my experience of “finding God in all things” impact the way I understand the work that I do?

Magis What helps me determine what is “more” and what is “the more” in my life?

How do I incorporate magis in my life and among those with whom I work?

How does living in a spirit of magis impact my approach to engagement as a student leader?

How do I incorporate reflection in my life and among those with whom I work?

How do I use reflection as a gift to impact my understanding of the work I do?

personal reflection

Reflection

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Service Rooted in Justice and Love How do I see my role as a student leader as an opportunity to better the lives of others?

How does service rooted in justice and love impact my world view?

What helps me sustain work toward social justice even when results are not immediate?

Solidarity and Kinship: Men and Women for and with others What does it mean to be “for and with others?�

How do I use my understanding of solidarity and kinship in the work that I do as a student leader?

How do I consider myself in solidarity with those around me?

General Reflection Questions What new perspectives have I gained regarding my work as a student leader and in my personal life?

What new ideas did I gain from reading the experiences of my peers?

How will I incorporate the lessons of other student leaders, and my own, in my life after college?

personal reflection 21

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