Month: November 2018

A Holy Cross education centers around the question: who am I for and with others? This question continues to swim through my head as I quickly approach the end of my first semester. Since starting school so many social justice issues and question have come to fruition on an off campus. In fact my Montserrat class centers around Social Justice in conjunction with the Christian faith. I am proud to proclaim my Catholic faith; it is very much a part of my identity and how I choose to exist in the world

Upon my arrival at Holy Cross, I immediately involved myself in Pax Christi, a Christian social justice group here on campus. Through this group, I accepted the opportunity to go to DC for a weekend conference called the Ignatian Family Teach for Justice. There I engaged with high school and college students to learn about the issues that still plague our society in a Christian context. The two main issues from the conference root themselves in racism. Mass incarceration is a structural form of anti-black racism in the United States and Family Separation at the border is a major act of Anti-immigrant racism.

What I learned through this enriching experience was that I am called to be an active warrior for social justice in this world. Holy Cross makes this tangible. We recently participated in an on campus conference called the Engage Summit where our community came together to discuss how we can engage we social justice issues spanning from LGBTQIA+ to Sexual Assault on and off campus.

I want to be a woman for others and at this point in the semester I think I am a woman for others. But who am I with others? That’s the real question. I will stand with those who have been oppressed before me. I will give them a voice. The last semester made me realize that I can make a change in this world as long as I keep remembering that I am a woman for and with others.

I’m looking forward to a future in politics or law. Perhaps I’ll be a civil rights attorney fighting for the ones who can’t always fight for themselves. I’ll always remember, however, that the best work is done for the other. Helping people and standing next to them: that is who I am for and with others.

When I think of Holy Cross, I automatically think of my family. I think of the long laundry list of graduates that are related to me or just friends. And I think of pressure. Pressure to find a school just like Holy Cross or go to Holy Cross. As a junior in High School embarking on the journey of college applications, my mind was made up. I was not going to go to Holy Cross (I thought). HC was my family’s school, definitely not mine. I was going to have my own experiences somewhere far away and more exotic. There was even a period of time where I thought I was going to move to London.

Today I’m sitting in Dinand Library at Holy Cross writing this blog post as a Holy Cross student trying to explain how wonderful this place really is. I’m sure there are so many students reading this right now who feel the same way I did in High School. You want to pave your own path. I completely get it.

Whether everyone in your family went to Holy Cross or you’re the first in your family to go to college, you can blaze an amazing trail at Holy Cross. In the last six weeks, I’ve formed strong relationships with peers, gotten involved on campus in several activities, become close with my professors, and established incredible support systems from students and faculty alike.

Don’t worry about living in the shadow of a cousin or sibling, Holy Cross will be excited to have YOU. Someone very close to me told me to “shine as brightly as I can” and at Holy Cross you can. You will make your own experience regardless of whether or not your family came here.

Holy Cross has so much to offer, don’t be afraid to fall in love with this place. It will be your own and it can be your own. Take it from me, after living on campus, Holy Cross becomes home and you quickly forget about those who came before you. Trust me, your education is all about you and the community at Holy Cross wants you to be happy. Your alumni family already took their shot, now it’s your turn.