Manresa Scholars Program: A Unique Freshman Experience

Manresa Scholars took a trip to the Hudson River for kayaking. 

For Fordham freshmen seeking a living-learning community, the Manresa Scholars Program offers incoming students the valuable opportunity to grow socially, spiritually, and academically. Manresa Scholars exhibit a sense of commitment to intellectual pursuit, community service, and the Fordham family.

The Manresa Scholars Program is housed in Loyola Hall, where students will experience an engaging academic and social environment. Within Loyola, students have access to live-in Manresa Tutors and Resident Assistants, a Study Commons, seminar rooms, and the St. Ignatius of Loyola Chapel, where Resident Housemaster Rev. Lito Salazar, S.J. holds weekly Mass. During the fall semester, every Manresa Scholar takes a Manresa Seminar, which is taught by a Manresa professor. Examples of course offerings include “Mind-Body Connection: Introduction to Behavior Health,” “Lost Interlocutor: Philosophy of Human Nature” and “Finch, Seed, and Storm: Adventures in Contemporary Evolution.” This professor also serves as the student’s academic advisor and mentor throughout the adjustment to college academics.

Students at a dinner colloquium
in the Loyola Study Commons.

One of the most popular features of Manresa are weekly “dinner-colloquium” programs, in which students gather over a simple meal to discuss a topic with a faculty member or guest speaker. This semester, Manresa philosophy professor, Dean Robert Parmach and Manresa theology professor, Dr. Harry Nasuti hosted a dinner colloquium entitled, “Social Media and the Search for the Self,” during which they examined the ways social media impact the intellectual, spiritual, and social lives of Manresa Scholars.

Additional program highlights include service-learning events such as Bronx park clean-ups and tutoring at a local Catholic elementary school, spiritual events such as Jesuit spirituality-inspired yoga in Our Lady’s Chapel, educational programs such as tutor-led midterm review sessions, and social excursions to Manhattan for kayaking or to explore Central Park.

For further information about the Manresa Scholars Program, please visit the Manresa website, http://www.fordham.edu/manresa, and the Program’s blog,: https://manresaprogram.wordpress.com.

Dean Parmach and Dean Totino welcome
students and their families on move-in day.

Manresa Scholars explore Central Park on a Friday afternoon.

My Favorite Fordham Experience

One of the most popular organizations at Fordham University is Global Outreach, which provides teams of Fordham students the opportunity to travel, both domestically and internationally to partake in a service and immersion trips. Fueled by a desire to experience a new part of the world and an interest in international cultures I decided to apply for an international GO! project at the beginning of my sophomore year, and it is unquestionably one of the best decisions I have ever made at Fordham. 

After going through the interview process I received a call from the student leader of the GO! Mexico project letting me know that I would be spending my winter break in Puebla, Mexico. One of my favorite aspects of the Global Outreach program, as oppose to other service trips, is the amount of preparation that each team undergoes for months leading up to departure. Starting in October my team, of ten students and our chaperone, met weekly to learn more about the Puebla community where we would be staying and we also got to know each other better. 

 

On January 7^th, 2016 our group landed in Mexico City, from where we drove two hours to Puebla, the third largest city in Mexico. The ten days I spent in Mexico were an unforgettable experience. We visited many parts of Puebla, spent time farming, and helped out at a school for the blind just to name a few aspects of the trip. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to see such a beautiful part of the world and interact with the incredible people who live there.

Another reason I enjoyed my GO! project so much was my amazing team. Prior to joining Global Outreach, I had never met any of the students on my team. GO! Mexico 2015 consisted of students from all classes as well as both Gabelli and Rose Hill students. Through our weekly meetings leading up to the trip and our ten days together in Mexico I became incredibly close with each member of my team. Its strange to think how without Global Outreach I never would have met the remarkable Fordham students who shared in this memorable experience with me.

Fordham University does an excellent job at providing their students opportunities to experience and learn from the world around us. To any person considering applying to a Global Outreach project I highly encourage you to do so as I truly consider it one my favorite and most impactful experiences in college thus far.

Check out this link to learn more about Fordham's Global Outreach program.

Volunteer Opportunities

About 80% of Fordham University undergraduates 

participate in at least one service project.

This is an awesome percentage and one of the statistics that made me give Fordham a closer look, since I knew in high school that I wanted service to be part of my college experience. I spent my freshman year getting my feet wet on campus. I tried a bunch of different clubs (some of which were service-oriented), was heavily involved in the Manresa community, and did some outside volunteer work as well. Through an email blast from Fordham's Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice, I found out about a Saturday morning tutoring program at a middle school located near Yankee Stadium. While some of my friends gawked at me for waking up at 8am a few Saturdays each semester, I loved it. Working with those kids to solve their science and math questions or improve their reading proficiency made me feel connected to my new home and made me care about the goings-on of the Bronx. 

This year, as a sophomore, I began volunteering at St. Rita's Center for Immigration and Refugee Services. On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, I teach a two-hour class to adult immigrants trying to learn English. I found out about St. Rita's through the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice's annual Volunteer and Internship Fair. Local organizations and programs line Edward's Parade, welcoming all students to consider volunteering with their group for whatever time commitment they could. I was drawn to St. Rita's because I am especially curious about the immigrant's experience in the United States and I thought that gaining some experience teaching would help me in my career discernment process. While I have always enjoyed service and volunteer work, nothing could have prepared me for the incredible joy I get from consistently working with my students at St. Rita's. 

The DDCSJ provides all the resources a Fordham student needs to get involved in the Bronx community. By volunteering, students can become a tangible part of the community, instead of just being a visitor for four years as they get their degree. One great opportunity offered by the DDCSJ is the Service Learning Program, where students can connect volunteer work with a class and receive credit. Taking a Service Learning class is on my Fordham bucket list, and I hope to take one next fall.

If you think you might be interested in doing service and volunteer work during college, becoming acquainted with your prospective schools' programs and resources is crucial! Check out the site for the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice here!

"We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community." 

~ Dorothy Day

My GO! Experience

Earlier this semester, I interviewed for the opportunity to be on one of Fordham’s popular Global Outreach projects. I applied to GO! Navajo, New Orleans, and Alaska. Fortunately, I received my top project choice, and I am preparing with an incredible team to experience Bethel, Alaska from May 18^th to the 28^th.

The bear shirts we sold as a fundraiser in the Alaskan flag colors!

Global Outreach is a program at Fordham that allows students to travel to places they have likely never experienced on a cultural immersion and service trip. Students learn about problems pertaining to the specific area of their project including social justice, environmental, political, and economic issues. Each team consists of 10-15 students, and travel during either winter, spring, or summer break. Every project is unique in duration, focus, and dynamic, but GO! emphasizes its four pillars to provide the most meaningful experience possible; these include community, simple living, spirituality, and social justice. Now that you have a little background on GO! let me tell you about my own experience thus far.

My GO! team at GO! Olympics!

I am participating in the GO! Alaska project, which is one of the summer domestic trips. I have a team of 12 members, including my team leader and chaperone, none of whom I knew before accepting the project. Over the course of the semester, we have had meetings, outings, and other events that have allowed us to become a tight-knit community. These are people I likely never would have met if I had not participated in GO!, but now they are people that I can trust, grow from, and almost call my family. Between fundraisers, Campus Movie Fest, our team retreat, gym sessions, and Chipotle runs, we have bonded so much, and there is no one else I would rather venture into unknown territory with.

We are all so excited for our upcoming project. We have not only spent the semester getting to know each other, but we have also done a lot of research on Bethel and its social issues as well. Because in GO! the motto is "participate, don't anticipate," the team (besides the leader and chaperone) does not know what our activities and responsibilities will consist of when we are there. We, however, have each other to rely on and work with, and with open-minds, I think we will all really gain a lot from our experience in Alaska. 

GO!ing to the Dominican Republic

This spring break, I had the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic on a Global Outreach mission trip. Global Outreach, or GO!, is a student-run organization at Fordham that sponsors domestic and international trips that allow students to become better aware of social, economic, political and environmental injustice. These projects range from learning about women's rights and immersing in the culture of Nicaragua, to participating in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans. With over 30 different locations, there is definitely a project for everyone and many students participate in a GO! trip during their four years here.

My team walking towards the Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración in Santiago, DR

After six months of weekly meetings, bake sales and community building, my team of twelve students finally departed for the Dominican Republic. We volunteered with the Joan Rose Foundation in Esperanza, DR, which provides lessons, meals and a safe haven for the children of the impoverished community. We were able to witness the extreme racism in the country that Haitian immigrants experience, as well as the living conditions in bateys, which are communities of sugar cane workers. Many families in the area live off of $0.90 a day, so it was extremely eye-opening to witness their lifestyle. The Joan Rose Foundation was such a loving community and we were able to make many new friendships with the children. My GO! experience was nothing less than life-changing, and I would definitely encourage everyone to apply for a trip!

My team at the Joan Rose Foundation

FUEMS

One club that I have been involved in since my first semester of freshman year is FUEMS, which stands for Fordham University Emergency Medical Service. FUEMS is a service organization entirely made up of student volunteers that responds to medical emergencies at any time of day or night on the Rose Hill campus and in the surrounding Belmont community.  Those who need medical attention call the Fordham Security office, which then dispatches the duty crew.

Becoming a member is very easy. To start, you have to attend four training sessions that briefly show students how the ambulance works, how to do CPR, and how to take vital signs, such as pulse and blood pressure. You are then able to ride and respond to calls as an attendant, helping the student EMTs. Then, in the spring, FUEMS sponsors interested and dedicated students to attend EMT school and to take a class on campus that will prepare them to take the test to become New York State certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). 

Most of the members of the organization are EMTs and all of the members are Fordham students. You don’t even have to be pre-med or a science major to be on FUEMS. I am an International Political Economy major and there are many students in the Gabelli School of Business that participate in FUEMS. Those involved just all have the common desire to serve their Fordham community, keeping them safe and healthy. I love being a part of FUEMS because I’ve met such great people who really embody the Jesuit tradition, “men and women for others.”

One of the two ambulances

Group picture of some of the FUEMS members!