Freshman year and beyond: my Vincentian journey
Since day one, the Vincentian mission has been a part of my college journey. I took a Discover course called “Women’s Leadership for Social Change” because it sounded interesting. I had no idea the impact it would have on my life and college career. When I enrolled in the course, I was clueless about what the Vincentian mission was or how it related to the class — but I’m so glad my eyes were opened. The leaders and teachers of my Discover class shaped me into who I am today and have been significant players in my time at DePaul.
Joyana was the professor of my Discover class and boy oh boy, is it an understatement to say she changed my life. Anyone who has met her for even a second knows that she is the human form of sunshine, always kind and happy and welcoming to everyone. The first week of college was really hard for me due to some really bad homesickness. Joyana helped alleviate that — it didn’t hurt that we’re both Wisconsin girls and that her hometown is 30 minutes from mine! Since the very first day of college, she has been a constant in my college career. Whether it was seeing her at one of the many Meet Me at the Mission events or sitting on her couch for a chat, she has always been someone I could turn to. I will greatly miss her when I move on from DePaul.
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This class introduced me to Meet Me at the Mission, which has been a staple of my time at DePaul. Halfway through my freshman year, I was debating possibly transferring when the year was done. I hadn’t found my place yet and felt like maybe another university would be a better fit. I decided on a whim to apply for a Service Immersion trip — and it is easily one of the best decisions I’ve made. I was assigned to the trip to Macon, Georgia. It was on that trip that I really dove into the Vincentian mission and what it meant to me. Even though it was cut short (thanks possible bedbugs!) it was one of the main reasons I knew my time at DePaul wasn’t over yet.
After that trip, I applied for the Vincentian Service Scholarship and got it, which meant I joined a cohort of fellow students dedicated to service and engaging in the mission. I eventually was a member of the Service Day Team for my junior and senior years, which allowed me to have a direct impact on the service aspect of the mission and to see others in the DePaul community engage in service and the Vincentian mission.
My Discover Chicago class also had an impact on me beyond the introduction to the Vincentian mission. Marissa Nelson was the quarter mentor for my Discover class. She was a journalism major and was involved in many different student media, including Her Campus, 14 East, and Good Day DePaul. Marissa is also a Wisconsin girl, so we bonded about our love for cheese and Culver’s immediately. At that point, I was an undeclared communication major. During one of our meetings, she encouraged me to join Her Campus, an online magazine she had been the leader of during her earlier days at DePaul. I went to one meeting and immediately felt welcomed — I would eventually be one of the Presidents for the rest of my DePaul career. Because of this, I can easily say that Marissa is one of the reasons I am a journalism major. I am currently the Social Media Editor of 14 East, the magazine Marissa helped start. I was also a reporter and anchor for Good Day DePaul. After graduation, I’ll be moving back to my hometown to work as a reporter and anchor and taking the experience DePaul gave me with.
As I move on from DePaul, I know that the Vincentian mission will continue to be a part of me, in both my personal life and career. In my daily life, I want to engage in service as much as possible. I will continue to ask myself “what must be done?” and help, whether that’s in a big way or simply smiling at someone who looks like they need it. In my career as a journalist, I will honor the dignity of the subjects of the stories I tell and ask myself “what must be done?” when choosing what stories to tell to help bring awareness to whatever is going on in the world or in people’s lives. I will also hold on tight to the memories I made during my time in the Mission and Ministry office and will hold close to my heart all the people it allowed me to meet.
