PettitKarleigh Rose Pettit ’09, of Jenkintown, Pa., will spend the next year broadening her knowledge of the world and recognizing her role in working for social justice.
She will work with the youth of Boston as an AmeriCorps State Member at Generations Incorporated. Pettit is among scores of alumni from the Class of 2009 who will spend their first year out of College volunteering through organizations such as Teach for America, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, and Nativity School of Worcester, among others.
Pettit writes about how her undergraduate experience at a liberal arts institution helped her determine her post-graduate plans.
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Senior year at Holy Cross prompted much discussion among my friends and classmates with regard to the future.
Where were we all going to end up? How could we be expected to succeed in this economy? For the first time in many of our lives, the next step was not going to be an easy one to figure out. I often reflected on how I got to Holy Cross and what stood out to me was the obvious blessing that my education has been from the age of three to the moment I walked across the stage on Fitton Field in May. As I thought about my own privileged education, I considered the fact that most students are not fortunate enough to receive the same.
The gift of a liberal arts education at Holy Cross challenges students to view subjects and issues through an interdisciplinary lens. As a Spanish major and Latin American and Latino Studies concentrator, I was made aware of the many issues facing Latinos in the United States. Courses like those I took with Josep Alba-Salas, assistant professor of Spanish, and Robert Hernandez, lecturer in Latin American and Latino Studies, challenged me to consider the socio-political issues surrounding children receiving an adequate education in America. In particular, my research on the elimination of bilingual education in Massachusetts made my passion for the issue clear.
My coursework in addition to my experiences tutoring English as a Second Language (through Student Programs for Urban Development and Community-Based Learning) and a summer internship at a non-profit that invests in charter schools as an alternative to inadequate public school systems, encouraged me to focus my career path toward effecting change in U.S. educational policy.
Sarah Shugrue, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning recognized my sincere interest in serving in the educational system and encouraged me to apply for an AmeriCorps position. I will be providing training, recruitment and program support for the upcoming school year as an AmeriCorps State Member at Generations Incorporated in Boston.
GI is a nonprofit organization that operates community-based programs to increase children’s literacy skills through a unique partnership of active older adults and youth. The experienced older adults serve as both mentors and tutors in one-on-one and classroom-based programs. GI currently focuses its efforts within five of Greater Boston’s most underserved urban neighborhoods. Programs are offered both in the Boston public school system and in afterschool programs.
The Jesuit tradition emphasizes open inquiry, a sense of purpose, and service to others. Motivated by that tradition, I know that my privileged education has not ended. My daily experiences over the course of the next year with these children will continue to teach me. The lessons I learn now will help me understand how I can better serve them in the future.
Related Information:
• Floyd '09 Joins Scores of Holy Cross Grads Who Bring Social Justice Experiences to Teach For America
