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WHO THEY ARE: Gabriella Karina ’13, communication, Cincinnati; Kimmi Vo ’14, finance (International Studies minor), Dorchester.
WHAT THEY DID: During August, Karina and Vo participated in Magis — a pastoral experience organized by the Society of Jesus in collaboration with other organizations — and World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid with a group of 24 BC undergraduates and School of Theology and Ministry students, and Tim Muldoon, assistant to the Vice President for University Mission and Ministry. The two were among six students from Jesuit universities reporting on the experience.
WHAT THEY SAY: Karina: “We and 3,000 other people gathered in the Sanctuary of Loyola [built over Ignatius’ birthplace] for three days and then we were split up around cities in Spain and Portugal in groups of 25 people for a week where we participated in experiences of pilgrimage, social service, art, spirituality, ecology, faith and culture. On the 15th of August, we had another day together as Magis and then we incorporated ourselves into the programs of WYD from the 16 to the 21st of August.
“Kimmi and I worked with the Maryland Province Jesuits to report our experiences online via Facebook and Twitter. I decided to be a youth reporter in this experience to share my journey and keeping people updated with what was happening, [and] to make myself become more attentive to the things around me so I can get a more-filled pilgrimage experience.
“Personally, being able to participate was such a blessing. I came home with a heart full of emotions, memories, and things to cherish. Though there were challenges during our pilgrimage, I’m glad and thankful that I went. I got to attend a meeting with Fr. Adolfo Nicolás (the Superior General of the Society of Jesus), [and] got to know more people from BC and make friends with people from all around the globe. Most of all, I am glad to have been able to look over my life and examine whether Christ is at the center of my heart, my life, and my future.”
Vo: “Magis was probably one of the hardest, but most enjoyable and spiritually fulfilling things that I’ve ever experienced. When you’re walking and hiking for 10 hours a day, there’s only so much you can do – talk, sing, pray, and think. For seven days straight, while doing all of the above, I learned so much about the Mauritian and Taiwanese people, their culture, and myself. I also grew so much closer to God and my faith. I finally had that opportunity to think about the paths in my life and which to take. There were several times on the trip where I’ve felt God’s presence, through other people, through nature, and through little mishaps that occur. Magis, meaning more, definitely did add more to my World Youth Day experience.
“As for World Youth Day, it was overwhelming to say the least. After being up in the mountains for a week with about 26 other people, being thrown into a hoard of two million pilgrims was no joke. Even so, it was wonderful. It wasn’t long before I realized that these two-plus million pilgrims were all in Madrid to celebrate the same Guy.
“It inspired me even more that everyone was so serious about their faith. They weren’t the Catholics that simply went to church on Easter Sunday and Christmas; they took their faith seriously, and I felt so proud to be a part of that group. Seeing the Pope and seeing how much everyone responded to him was just the cherry on top of my whole World Youth Day experience. He was like the string that tied us all together. Most people go through their whole lives without seeing such a spectacle; I just feel very fortunate to have been a part of something so great.
“Although I didn’t realize the scale of World Youth Day and how big of an event it is, I knew I wanted to share it with people that weren’t able to attend. Tweeting wasn’t only a way to let everyone know I was okay, but also to bring a piece of Spain and WYD to America, and share a bit of the experience with others as well. It was great receiving tweets back from people I didn’t know encouraging the group on our Magis experience and thanking me for reminding them of their past WYDs. Overall, tweeting, hiking, praying – all these were great, and even with all of the inconveniences of having no hot water, sleeping on the floor, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
WHO THEY ARE: Peter Casinelli ’14, computer Science, Medway, Mass., Thomas Coburn ’13, biology and theology/pre-med, Hopkinton, Mass., Jeb Thomas ’13, finance and information systems, Coral Gables, Fla.
WHAT THEY DID: This Boston College undergraduate trio founded Jebbit, a service that makes online advertisements more engaging for consumers and provides measurable return on investment for companies. After winning the Boston College Venture Competition (under the name Additupp), Jebbit was one of 10 teams across the nation accepted into Highland Capital Partner’s Summer@Highland Program, an intensive 10-week summer start-up “incubator” program. Each team was given $15,000 and office space for the summer. Jebbit and three other teams from area schools were given office space at the Cambridge Innovation Center, and the students spent the summer learning from visiting speakers arranged by Highland Capital – CEOS, venture capitalists, technical experts, etc. Jebbit plans to launch a web-based business development and sales program to the Boston College community this fall. Inc. Magazine coverage
WHAT THEY SAY: Casinelli: “I have learned how to understand new concepts in a changing environment that cannot be taught in a classroom. The real world experiences will carry over to any goal I set out to accomplish in the future.”
Coburn: “Numerous problems and obstacles emerged daily, which I’ve come to accept is simply the nature of creating a start-up. But what I’ve learned is that it’s how you chose to react to these obstacles that will ultimately define the company. All you can do is focus on moving forward.”
Thomas: “The main thing I took away from the program was ‘Just do it.’ Be prepared, but don’t stress over the small things. As with many investments, the larger the risk, the greater the reward.”
WHO SHE IS: Elizabeth Sierocinski ’13, music/pre-med, Davie, Fla.
WHAT SHE DID: Through a Boston College Advanced Study Grant, Sierocinski worked for six weeks in health care settings in Nicaragua, including for eight days on a US Navy hospital ship stationed in San Juan harbor.
WHAT SHE SAYS: “I wanted to go to Latin America, to see what health care systems in other countries are like. I really got a panoramic view of health care in Nicaragua, especially when I worked as a translator in a community center, and was able to practice a lot of medical Spanish. Normally, medical professionals have to hitchhike from place to place, but the Navy donated fuel so we could get around easier.
“What stood out to me was how so many problems we treated were chronic, and could be addressed by a system of preventive care — even just information about things we take for granted, like brushing after every meal. The baby teeth in about 75 percent of the kids we saw were rotted to the roots, because the parents just weren’t aware of basic dental care or nutrition. If you don’t have access to that kind of information, it makes a big difference.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing music, and sometimes it’s a good therapeutic release. When I worked in a San Juan battered women shelter, I brought over a guitar and played a little while. I am very interested in working with under-served populations in a community setting, and this experience really opened my eyes.”
WHO HE IS: Clay Venetis '13, philosophy, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
WHAT HE DID: Building on his work with the Boston College Guestbook Project, Venetis dedicated his summer to creating conversations between Latino immigrants and local residents of his Southern California town. He and two hometown friends organized a community picnic where men and women who’ve come to California from Mexico, Central and South America shared personal stories about their immigration experiences with local residents. The trio is putting the finishing touches on a documentary chronicling their work over the summer as an aid to help facilitate immigration discussions across the country.
WHAT HE SAYS: “I was driven to work with the Guestbook Project because of its ultimate goal, which I feel is to break hostile cultural divides through productive and innovative dialogue. Professor (Richard) Kearney's influence on heading this project was a huge factor for getting my involvement. (Immigration) is a controversial topic, but I believe if we keep these forums up, and the Guestbook Project continues what it is doing, the immigration debate can become much more approachable, less black-and-white. I would love to continue working along borders around the world, applying philosophical and ethical thought to old, stalemate issues.”
WHO THEY ARE: Emily Charnowski ’12, psychology and theology , St. Louis; Kyle McCartan ’12 finance, Dallas; Hannah Mulvey ’14, Milton, Mass.; Marlotte van den Bergh ’11, sociology major, Greenwich, Conn.
WHAT THEY DID: The four student-athletes were BC’s first participants in Coach for College, a program in which American college student-athletes travel to rural communities in developing countries to support students in grades 6-9 and motivate them to pursue higher education. The quartet traveled to rural camp sites in Vietnam’s Hau Giang Province, more than four hours south of Ho Chi Minh City, where they taught subjects such as English, biology, physics, morality, financial literacy, leadership skills, team building and higher education. They also coached the campers in sports such as basketball, soccer, tennis and volleyball. Their participation in Coach for College was organized by the University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
WHAT THEY SAY: McCartan: “Higher education is not frequently sought after in rural Vietnam. They are busy with day to day life. There is pressure to work on the farm and there is often no money for college. Coach for College provides inspiration, letting kids know that higher education is a possible. At first the language barrier made it hard to gauge the impact we were having, but on our last day, the campers were crying because we were leaving. It was pretty intense.”
For more photos of the BC students and the children they worked with, see a Flickr Slideshow here