A New Day

Throughout the Mount’s 100-year-history, students and faculty alike have embraced uphill challenges with grit, determination, and grace. Here’s an impressive look at our new century of students.

By Jessica Baltzersen ’13

In August 2020, a campus that is usually bustling with new and returning students was quiet. The Mount’s hallways were often empty as students took classes virtually from their dorm rooms and homes. While the world was trying to find its footing amidst a surging Pandemic, college students everywhere were trying to do the same.

In 1920, when the Mount first opened its doors to 20 students, the U.S. was just nearing the end of the 1918 influenza pandemic—a time that brought self-isolation, banned public gatherings, and a changing educational landscape. Now, 100 years later, history is repeating itself.

Thanks to advanced technology and access to remote learning, education during the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic never stopped; it merely shifted. And as classes resumed this semester, students reacclimated to their normal routines but with notably changed perspectives. One thing, however, remained the same—MSJ students met each challenge with the Heart of a Lion.

So, what does a day in the life of MSJ students look like in fall 2021? Let’s take a look.

A CHANGING OUTLOOK ON HEALTH

Dylan Deck in the Austin E. Knowlton Fitness Center.

Photo by Ross Van Pelt.

It’s 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, and Dylan Deck, a junior, has just woken to start his day. As a commuter, it gives him plenty of time to drive to the Mount to begin his wrestling conditioning with his team at 6:50 a.m. After he showers, he heads to his classes from 10:50 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. He’s currently enrolled in health courses including Lifespan Development, Health Assessment and Programming, and his favorite class, Foundations of Wellness, where he has enjoyed learning how people stay physically, mentally, and emotionally well.

Once he leaves work at StretchLab (a wellness facility offering customized assisted-stretch sessions), he heads home to spend time with his girlfriend, relax with his dogs, Frido and Trout, and get caught up on his assignments.

Initially, Deck chose his Health and Wellness major (1) to start his path to becoming a physical therapist, with hopes of working with athletes in recovery. But recently, his plans have shifted.

“As the reality of the Pandemic set in, my ideas of what I wanted to do in my professional path changed,” Deck says. “I realized how fascinating health care is and how many moving and working parts go into it. The idea of being involved in health care on a larger scale became more interesting.”

These days, Deck wants to get involved in nonprofits addressing health disparities or work in health care administration.

Dylan Deck in a 2019 Wrestling Match.

Photo by Don Denney.

“I’ve begun to study the disparity between low-income minority individuals and the health care gap that exists in America,” he says. “As health care has been at the forefront of American culture in the last two years, I find this area very important because this is where I feel the most change could be accomplished to help end health disparities.”

Deck admits that Zoom classes during the Pandemic are draining at times, and offered a markedly different feel. But these atypical times have also made him more resilient.

“I learned to make things work and be more flexible when it comes to school and work,” he says, adding that MSJ professors also adapted, offering more flexibility as needed.

1. The Health and Wellness major is now Health and Exercise Science.

PIVOTING TOWARD A NEW FUTURE

Carissa Palazzolo in front of the Elizabeth Ann Seton Mural created by the Art Guild

Photo by Mark Byron.

Carissa Palazzolo, a senior fine arts major and psychology minor who transferred to the Mount in 2019 as a sophomore, also began to reshape her career path after a heightened discovery of new possibilities.

“Initially, I wanted to be an art therapist because I love art and helping people and thought it was a good intersection of the two,” Palazzolo says. “But I’ve taken so many classes at the Mount and loved so many of them that it’s hard for me to pick just one thing to do now.”

Other fields she’s exploring include graphic design, teaching, and a master’s in art history.

“If the Pandemic taught me anything it’s how uncertain things can be, and how easily things can change,” she says. “Before COVID, I had a 5-, 10-, and even 15-year plan, and now I realize that it’s not as realistic—moving forward I really evaluate what I’m doing. I ask myself, ‘Is it worth my time?’ Because ultimately …it’s about how I’m feeling and making sure I’m resonating with what I’m doing, versus whether or not I should be doing something, just because it looks good on paper.”

Carissa Palazzolo working as a graphic design co-op in the Career Center.

Palazzolo, however, is not short on ideas on how to fill her time. Taking seven classes this semester, she’s also working in the Career Center as a graphic design co-op, is vice president of Student Government, the lead orientation leader, and a member of the Art Guild, Honor Society, and dance team. She also teaches at Dance Etc. in Milford, Ohio, a studio where she has danced since she was 3 years old.

Going from over a year of self-isolation to a fully loaded semester right before graduation, though, is no easy feat.

“We all went through the rhythm of virtual classes, but sometimes I forget that I am a senior because 2020 happened and I was alone with my roommate and my cat on Zoom classes,” she says. “I’m definitely glad to be back. Seeing other people again is really nice, and being able to interact face-toface with my professors has been great.”

Palazzolo is also grateful for her professors’ flexibility and understanding.

“The Mount Community really came together as a whole,” she says.

MAKING THE MOST OF UNCERTAINTY

Ciara Tucker in the cITe lab.

Photo by Mark Byron.

Sophomore Ciara Tucker starred in her first in-person performance in the Mount’s late-fall production, “Spoon River Requiem”. Last year, she played the lead, Agnes, in “She Kills Monsters”—an online performance in which students donned costumes, turned on their computers and performed via a virtual realm. “It was … (she pauses, then shrugs her shoulders) you know. I tried to make the most out of the situation, but this year I’m definitely excited to be back [in-person].”

For Tucker and hundreds of other incoming freshman students, starting a new school year during the height of a pandemic was far from normal, but it didn’t stop her from getting involved. Tucker is double majoring in Communication and New Media Studies and Computer Science with a concentration in Natural Language Processing (NLP). She works on campus through an NLP work-study program doing research on social justice issues, and even presented on rural students’ access to education at a recent ALARA conference.

Tucker is also a Resident Assistant (RA), an honor society member, and over the summer served as a direct service intern with IKRON Corp., where she worked to help people with disabilities find employment. One of her favorite MSJ responsibilities is giving tours through the Office of Admission.

“My tour was something that was really impactful when I was deciding on going to the Mount; now I want to provide that same experience for other potential students,” she says.

Ciara Tucker performs in Spoon River Requiem.

Photos by Mark Byron.

Like most, when Tucker was on her campus tour, she couldn’t have imagined that her first year of college would take place during such unusual times. But, Tucker says, there have been plenty of positives. As an extrovert with little down time, spending much more time than usual in the dorms taught her how to find things that make her happy independently, such as exercising, reading, and journaling.

“I’ve learned how to self-reflect,” she says. “And how good it is mentally for me to have those quieter moments in my day.”

Luckily, Tucker’s been able to form formidable relationships along the way.

“My freshman orientation was a lot of fun, even though it was socially distanced in the parking garage in 90-degree heat,” she says. “I met a lot of people and established the friend group I have now through the activities that day. I’m also really lucky because I have a very small cohort with only eight people, four of which all work together…being in such a small program, I’ve been able to feel very connected.”

A LEADER IN SERVICE

Emily Etris in the classroom.

Photo by Mark Byron.

On Tuesdays, Emily Etris makes a 30-minute commute to campus, where she arrives early to practice lacrosse with her best friend. As a dedicated player on the Mount’s women’s lacrosse team, she wants to get in extra practice time before her education classes from 9:25 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.

Etris is an Early Childhood and Special Education Dual Licensure Major, which will enable her to teach early childhood education—kindergarten through 5th grade and/or special education kindergarten through 12th grade.

“I chose to concentrate in these areas so that I am able to effectively teach every student that I have in my class,” Etris says. “I feel that this major is important because it gives teachers the chance to make a difference in their students’ lives. We are able to give the next generation the tools to succeed and build a better world.”

After her classes, she goes to the Office of Mission Integration on campus for her co-op where she is responsible for all the social media accounts, working with the marketing department on Mission Ambassador social media videos, and designing and creating flyers and display boards. She also serves as the sacristan for the Mater Dei Chapel, which constitutes handling weddings and Sunday masses.

She’s also involved in Mission Ambassadors, Kappa Delta Pi (School of Education Honors Society), Lions for Life, Prayer Warriors, the Honors program, and is an orientation leader. And somewhere in between all her activities, she has also warmly received the SGA Leadership in Service Award for her years of commitment to serving her community.

Emily Etris and classmates participating in a Service Day at Imago.

Photo by Don Denney.

During Welcome Week service days, Etris has assisted with annual clean-up of parts of the Western Wildlife Corridor, volunteered sorting electronics for Be Concerned, and this year, she volunteered at Oyler School to help clean and prepare their mentoring room.

For two of her service learning credits, Etris volunteered at WordPlay Cincy, an organization in Northside that helps children in poverty get experience developing their reading, writing, and creativity. Etris was part of their puppet workshop for kindergarten through second grade, and their narrative writing workshop for third through seventh graders. Her most recent service-learning credit took place during COVID-19 in which she remotely tutored a student.

These experiences allowed her to practice many of the things she learned, like interacting with parents, handling challenging behaviors, and working as part of an instructional team, in one of her favorite courses, Classroom Management.

“As a college student, COVID has changed my learning experience all around and introduced new ways of learning and connecting with my peers,” Etris says. “It has also taught me the importance of community…and how to stay connected to people no matter what, how to continue to push myself to achieve the standards I hold myself to, and how to be able to look at and constructively criticize myself.”

EMBRACING MANY NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Joshua Bailey on the soccer field.

Photo by Mark Byron.

When Joshua Bailey started the Mount as a freshman, undecided on his major, he used one adjective to describe himself: athlete. Having played soccer since he was 4 years old, he was given the opportunity to join the Mount’s soccer team and he took it. But a conversation at a career fair later changed his tune on how he approaches opportunities.

“An alum told me, ‘If you’re spending money on tuition, then why wouldn’t you try everything? Do everything you can. Try out all that the University has to offer.’ That was what initially kickstarted me into getting involved at the Mount,” Bailey says.

His first order of business? Solidifying a major. After taking a career development course and completing various skills training, he became a marketing major with a minor in graphic design. Now he’s the social media and promotion intern in the Mount’s marketing department. He’s in charge of keeping students engaged and informed through social media platforms, such as TikTok (@mountstjosephu) and assists on a new initiative, Meet the Mount Mondays.

Joshua Bailey recording a TikTok with the MSJ Women’s Basketball team.

“Because of COVID, our freshmen and sophomores are pretty much new to the campus,” Bailey says. “So we started a series where I visit important offices on campus and highlight what they offer so students can be aware of the University’s resources.”

Today, Bailey would use lots of adjectives to describe himself. He has burgeoned into leadership roles like captain of the men’s soccer team, vice president of Lions for Life, and president of the business club, and proudly recruits students from all departments—not just business majors—to get involved.

“We’re trying to teach students practical things they’ll need in every aspect of life,” he says. “So whether you’re a music major or art major you’ll still need to know how to do your taxes and other useful day-to-day business practices.”

Bailey grew up in Winchester, Kentucky, a place stamped halfway between Louisville and Ashland with a population of less than 20,000 and a strong, tight-knit community.

“When I first stepped foot on [the Mount’s] campus, I felt the same sense of community I grew up with,” Bailey says. “Everyone was so kind and took the time to learn my name.”

Because his tour and initial experience on campus were so significant, Bailey wanted to provide the same to his local community as a campus ambassador.

“I love giving tours,” he says. “It’s a great way to show off all the opportunities the Mount provides. Plus, students and parents really enjoy my jokes,” he laughs. “But honestly, I really want new students to enjoy this school as I do. I’m thankful for choosing the Mount.”