When I started at CSTM, I did not expect that I was going to become a teacher. I knew I had a passion for my faith and felt some sort of call to ministry, but I definitely did not have a clear vision of where I would end up. Very quickly, my experiences in the classroom at CSTM revealed to me a deep call to become a teacher and guide others through the process of intellectual engagement with the faith. The CSTM professors constantly encouraged me not to blindly accept church tradition, but to grapple with it, to put it in dialogue with my own experiences, and to carefully discern my true beliefs. They offered me permission to doubt and question, which ultimately led me to a much deeper and more authentic sense of my own faith. It is precisely this encouragement to grapple with the tradition that has helped me so much as a teacher now. Since I graduated, I have been serving as a theology teacher at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver, CO. The fact that I was given permission to explore my own doubts and questions in a robust way has firmly shaped the way I guide students through their own uncertainties.
Opportunities for field ministry through CSTM also had an incredible impact on my formation. Most integral to my growth were the summer I spent in the Philippines ministering alongside Sisters of the Sacred Heart and volunteer work with the CSTM Prison Ministry Initiative. The opportunity to serve in contexts vastly different from my own background helped me appreciate the diversity of the church immensely. Ministering in these places also helped me develop an ability to "translate" deep theological concepts into more everyday language: something that has served me incredibly well in my current work with teenagers. My style as a teacher has been formed most directly through these field placements offered by CSTM.
Through robust coursework, field ministry in diverse contexts, and professors who truly cared about me, CSTM brought me the intellectual rigor I wanted, personal growth that I needed, and the clarity in discernment that I hoped for.