Imagining the Future
Harris ’10 prepares to embark on Sisters of Mercy journey Mercy Volunteer Corps. He helped me weigh the pros and More than one hundred years ago, the Sisters of Mercy came cons before making any sort of rash decision. I was involved to Morris with good intentions to care for and educate American with Catholic Campus Ministry throughout my four years, and I Indian children on this campus. We often think of the Sisters of also accepted many different leadership roles in the group Students Mercy as a story that happened far in the past, but their mission Today, Leaders Forever. It was through my today to serve the sick, poor, and uneducated work in both of these groups that I learned makes a difference in our world. Ashley Harris “If you have come much of my potential as an individual.” ’10, Ely, has embraced the Sisters of Mercy to help me, you are vision for a future in which all have access to Harris has been inspired to serve others healthcare, education, and the means to make a wasting your time. through her faith, friends, and family, living. At the end of the summer, she will travel But if you have especially her mother who always encourages to Guyana, South America, to begin her. She says, “My passion has always been to come because your her two-year lay service with the Mercy help people, and I have found through past Volunteer Corps. liberation is bound up volunteer experiences that it is very fulfilling to give, but you receive more as the volunteer. Experiences at Morris motivated Harris, with mine, then let us I chose Mercy Volunteer Corps because of its a psychology major and biology minor, to work together.” consider a position with the Mercy Volunteer great focus on solidarity with the poor and Corps. Professor of Sociology Jennifer marginalized.” —Lilla Watson Rothchild’s passion for people and her Intro to The women who form the Sisters of Mercy Sociology course impacted her greatly, opening Guyana Community have been carrying out its mission in Guyana her eyes to seeing the world through a variety of perspectives— since 1894. Today, about 80 percent of the community’s members race, gender, socio-economics, etc. Several out-of-the classroom are Guyanans. Their work focuses on healthcare, care of children, experiences also influenced her decision to begin her postgraduate aid to those suffering from poverty, literacy education, and years as a volunteer. spiritual care to those in need. “I worked at the Career Center as a AmeriCorps Recruiter,” shares Harris. “I loved my job, mostly because Gary Donovan, director, was literally a saint to work for. He mentored me throughout my career and was supportive in my decision to join
As Harris prepares to leave for Guyana—through formal training and personal study—she has experienced a variety of emotions: excitement, anxiety, perhaps a bit of fear, but overall, she says, “I feel a deep peace knowing that I am about to embark on a wonderful journey. I think of how blessed I have been in simply being able to receive an education, and I am excited to pass my knowledge on to others. I am ready to try to immerse myself in a new culture.” Harris’s personal mission statement is a quote attributed to Lilla Watson:“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Eagerly, she looks forward to developing and nurturing new relationships, firmly rooted in respect and compassion. After service in Guyana, Harris plans to explore graduate school options. Ashley Harris ’10 displays a prize Minnesota catch as she prepares for her trip to Guyana as a member of the Mercy Volunteer Corps.
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University of Minnesota, Morris: a renewable, sustainable education.