Student Reflections

Kayla Pitre ’08, South Africa Immersion Trip
Traveling to South Africa through the Archbishop Mitty immersion program was a wonderful experience. I had an amazing time and learned a lot. The children around me taught me the most. Their attitudes were positive and they helped me learn some things about life as well as myself. The kids were sweet and forgiving; no one held grudges and they seemed content with life no matter their circumstance. Things like this helped me become more appreciative when we returned. I realized that God has blessed my family and I should be pleased with all that I am blessed with. I am thankful for every opportunity presented to me because everyone is not fortunate enough to do the things that I am able to do. This immersion trip I realized that I accomplished more than community service. I discovered something I was not looking for -me. This summer I went through a mental transformation and I changed my ideals and thoughts about life. My outlook on everything around me is so much more positive. This experience in South Africa changed my life in a good way and I am glad that I will never be the same again.

 

Stanley Hiew ’08, El Salvador Immersion
Applications for the El Salvador Immersion program became available late in my sophomore year. The course would require a study of El Salvador’s political history on top of the normal junior religious-studies curriculum. There was, of course, the twelve-day trip that would leave my summer significantly shorter.  A friend told me not to go with expectations—that the immersion trip would be most fulfilling if I let the experiences take hold of me naturally. It’s hard not to have expectations, though, when you spend an entire year learning about the Salvadoran poor who where denied basic rights and living conditions, and about heroes like Archbishop Romero, Rufina Amaya, and Maria whose courage liberated a nation.

I expected to visit Romero’s tomb, the UCA, and El Mozote, and all the sites central to El Salvador’s liberation movement. And while we toured all things important, the sites of old became secondary to our interaction with the Salvadoran people. Many who we met had personally lived through the war, and they gladly shared their stories with us. They told us of life in the villages, on the battlefield; they told us about the loss of friends and about moving on. For twelve days, I listened to all they had to tell me, and, by the end, I began to understand what it meant to be Salvadoran.

In addition to its academic objective, the El Salvador immersion trip is also an exercise in humility. For a week, we stayed, with the Tamarindos—a poor community by any of our standards. We used latrines in place of toilets and used cold waters from wells to shower; we did our own laundry and used only our legs for transportation. The experience allowed us to see that happiness is not dependent on material convenience. The Tamarindos taught us that relationships are what truly matter.

I am grateful for all that the Salvadorans have taught me. I am grateful to know their political history and all the events and people involved in the country’s struggle for justice. But mostly, I am grateful because the Salvadorans taught me to seize the day. They taught me how to live and count my blessings, about relationships and what it means to love. They taught me how to live.

 

Marlena Vasquez ‘09, Los Ninos Immersion Trip (Tijuana, Mexico)
Los Ninos was an incredible experience.  It opened my eyes to a different world, one in which people live without the conveniences and luxuries we have here.  During our trip, we helped to build and improve two schools in Tijuana, mostly by mixing cement, which was used to pave walkways and playgrounds.  It was hard work, but we had the chance to work together with the community that lived there and that made it really meaningful.  We also learned about immigration issues by seeing the border and then listening firsthand to the stories of migrants who had been deported.  My favorite part of the trip, though, was visiting an orphanage and talking and playing with the children.  Through these experiences and many more, I was able to learn more about different people and places that I never would have encountered in my everyday life.  Los Ninos inspired me to take advantage of all the opportunities Mitty has to offer and to search out ways that I can give back to my own community.