As someone who meets with students regularly to discuss the idea of post graduate service, I know sometimes the most helpful thing is to hear the experiences of people who have been where you are now. So instead of sharing my advice here, I asked them to share their stories.
I invite you to meet Olivia Spadola, CSON ’17 and Rob Mudge, CSOM ’16 and read their reflections on how they made the decision to do full-time service and a bit about the experience itself. If you have questions for either of them, or would like to meet to talk more about full-time service and the many organizations that are out there, please feel free to contact me in the Volunteer Service Learning Center.
—Kate Daly, Associate Director, Volunteer Service Learning Center
Meet Olivia Spadola, CSON ’17 and Rob Mudge, CSOM ’16
After graduation, Olivia joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps NW and served in Oregon. She stayed in Oregon and is currently working as a nurse in Portland. Rob was Jesuit Volunteer in Arizona. He is back at Boston College pursuing a dual degree at the School of Theology and Ministry and Lynch School of Education and Human Development. He’s also a graduate assistant for the First Year Service Program in the VSLC.
What helped you decide to choose post-graduate service?
Olivia: In my decision process, it helped immensely to reflect on my time as an undergrad and the experiences that brought me joy. I knew a year of service was right for me because of how impactful it was for me to feel connected to communities outside of BC and to take part in programs that offered me new perspectives.
Rob: I remember late September of my senior year sitting in my Challenge of Peace class and my professor, Steve Pope, posed the question of whether or not we saw life as a competition. I realized in that moment that so many of the decisions I had made in my life were through this lens, including the decision to commit to working in business, that I had made a week prior. I had been heavily involved with various service/ campus ministry programs including Appa and Kairos while an undergrad, and after hearing that proposed viewpoint, I remember the seeds of doubt being planted that perhaps I was choosing to go into work that I may not have been best suited for. After graduating, it took me only a few weeks to realize that I wanted to be elsewhere, and I decided to apply to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps for the following year.
What drew you to the program you chose?
Olivia: I was drawn to JVCNW because the pillars of the program were already meaningful in my own life (spirituality, simple living, social justice, and community). There is also a focus on ecological justice, which is something I care deeply about.
Rob: I had heard of wonderful experiences from friends I had graduated with that did JVC, and it was always something in the back of my mind for the rest of my senior year, as I wrestled with my commitment to working in the business world. I wanted to enter a program that valued reflection in the same way that my experience with various programs at BC did, because I felt that this was an area of my life that was missing in the months following graduation. I also knew I wanted to work directly with others and be able to able live in a completely new area of the country. I also wanted the chance to work with peers my age that had the same desire to serve with others, and begin to understand what it means to be in solidarity. JVC was the program that met all of this criteria for me.
What advice would you give someone considering full-time service, either about the discernment process or about the experience itself?
Olivia: I would advise students to simply be open-minded about the prospect of full-time service. You’ll definitely have more questions than answers about what your service experience will hold, and that’s okay!
Rob: It sounds cliché but I would say that the heart of discernment is understanding what one wants for one’s self rather than what other people may want for them. Or perhaps even more pressuring, what one may think others value. I remember just unconsciously choosing business as a major because it was what I thought that a career in this path was what other people would admire the most. However, I quickly realized (because I was not good at it and did not enjoy it) that it was a career that was inauthentic to who I wanted to be as a person. At the same time, I also believe that this way of thinking goes both ways. If someone feels compelled to do full-time service for reasons that are inauthentic to them, that probably will not be a good fit either. I do not feel that anyone should feel guilt for choosing a different path that seems more authentic to them. Another great Steve Popism is “the world needs good accountants more than it needs bad social workers”. The most important thing in the discernment process is choosing something that is authentic to you as a person. The part that requires hard work is understanding what “authentic to you as person” looks like.
What program and work are you doing/did you do?
Olivia: I served at Deschutes County Health Department in Bend, OR in a few different public health programs. I supported our harm reduction/needle exchange program, maternal/child health program, and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) team.
Rob: I worked in Tucson, Arizona for the Community Home Repair Project. The work was extremely unique and hands-on. Our organization provided emergency home repair for free to our clients. This entailed fixing leaking roofs, replacing holes in floors, plumbing repair, electrical repair, and cooling system repair, and various other tasks. Every day we would be sent out in groups of 2 and would be given 3-4 assignments, and depending upon the degree of difficulty, would try to get to each of our clients by the end of our day. CHRPA had 7 full-time staff members that specialized in varying aspects of home repair that offered on-site training and education on whatever the repair was.
What was something you didn’t expect from the experience?
Olivia: I don’t think I ever expected to wear so many hats at my service placement! I also didn’t expect to gain so many professional skills and public health knowledge…I really learned a ton. My service year has been, and will continue to be so essential in my trajectory in nursing and public health.
Rob: Probably the aspect of the program I expected the least was how much I would love living in the Southwest. Part of my reason for wanting to do a year of service was to explore a new area of the country, and I quickly fell in love with the desert. It was also great to hear that friends who were in other cities for the most part loved living where they were as well. I think one of the bonuses of doing a year of service is that because you are only there for a limited amount of time, you really dive headfirst into that the culture and experience that that has to offer. I fondly miss the city of Tucson, the people I met during my year there, and the beautiful landscape that I got to call home for the one year.
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