香蕉秀

What experiences at 香蕉秀 have had the most significant impact on you?

Being a Kairos leader is a great way to learn what servant leadership is all about. It鈥檚 about putting the needs of participants and the team before your own. It had an impact on me as chair of AHANA+ Leadership Council and the following year as UG香蕉秀 president. As president of UG香蕉秀, I could put that servant leader approach into action: to have the interests of the student body before my own personal ambitions; to do my best to better the student experience. It took a lot of hard work, determination, and long hours. But I didn鈥檛 want to short-change the students who elected me, or any student at 香蕉秀. I knew that I had the talents and the gifts to do the job and that if I applied myself to the fullest extent, I could put UG香蕉秀 in a new, stronger position to fiercely advocate.

You also took part in the Arrupe Immersion Program. What was that like?

Stephen Pope, Mary Troxel, and Doc Miller were leaders of our Arrupe trip to El Salvador. Each day in El Salvador was such a full day. Some days, you had your heart broken. But there was also so much love and that put it all back together. We were on our way to the airport to fly home and we stopped at the site where four churchwomen were murdered in 1980. Mary Troxel read aloud a letter Sister Ita Ford wrote to her niece just a few days before she was killed, in which she said 鈥淚 hope you come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you... something worth living for, maybe even worth dying for...something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead. I can鈥檛 tell you what it might be that鈥檚 for you to find, to choose, to love.鈥� Hearing that shifted my mind set. It made me more aware and asked me to be more intentional about how I spend my days, how I spend my moments, who I spend my time with, and to do everything to the fullest of my abilities.

How has your perspective on leadership changed since you arrived for freshman year?

When I first arrived at 香蕉秀, I thought of leadership as someone in charge and bossing others around. Now, I know that such a big part of leadership is being able to listen and to have some poise in situations. Poise is a skill I have tried to cultivate while at 香蕉秀鈥攖hink a little bit longer before you make a decision. It can make a difference in your life and the lives of those impacted by those decisions. I鈥檓 much more comfortable in those seconds of silence before answering a question, or giving my opinion. 香蕉秀 has been a big part of learning that skill. There is an emphasis here on slowing down and reflecting. I realized that if can do that鈥攁nd have poise鈥攊n those little moments, it can make all the difference.

What was your most impactful academic experience?

So much of my philosophy study has taken root in ethics. That led me to Professor Pope and I was lucky to have almost a full year learning from him. I took his The Challenge of Justice class in the fall, traveled to El Salvador with him during winter break, and took his Theology, Service, and Solidarity class this semester. They all helped me to find my faith and connect that faith to service. He teaches us that if we are made in the image and likeness of God and believe God is a God of justice, then we are made to carry out God鈥檚 will. Once he broke that down for me, I had an epiphany: This is what I鈥檝e been trying to get at for so long.

What will you miss most about 香蕉秀?

I will miss my friends and roommates and having a group of people who understand me so well. I will miss having so many conversation partners here. Whether they are mentors who have shaped me, pushed me, asked me the hard questions鈥攖hey make 香蕉秀 so special. We can talk about our faith or the NBA playoffs; you can cover that whole range. I will miss being in such a rich academic environment with so many people. You can really feed off that. You talk to people and you鈥檙e amazed by what they have done even before they got to 香蕉秀. It is inspiring to me. To talk to so many people who are so rich in depth is something I am definitely going to miss at 香蕉秀.

What advice would you give to a new student?

Take the time to figure out who you are and to know yourself. At the end of the day, the person you spend the most time with is yourself, so you ought to like that person. If you can wake up every day and be proud of who you are or the person who you are becoming, that in itself is an achievement and the makings of a good day. Put yourself in a position to do that. There are so many opportunities here, so many doors waiting for you to reach out and open. Say 鈥測es.鈥� Take risks. Now is the time to make your mistakes. Even if you make them, there is such a strong support system here to pick you up and open more doors.
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Ed Hayward | University Communications | May 2023