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Recent SCS Alum Shares Inspiration About Personal Struggle and Guidance for Soon-to-Be SCS Graduates

In May 2022, Malak Badeer graduated from the Master’s in Human Resources Management program. That same month, she shared publicly with the SCS community her brave story of overcoming the tragic loss of her husband, Hamza, who passed away months after the birth of their first child, Omar. Four months into the pregnancy, Malak and Hamza suffered a severe car accident that led to hospitalization and intensive rehabilitation. Malak persisted in her studies, however, and achieved her dream of graduating from Georgetown. In the next several weeks, Mission in Motion will dedicate attention to the season of Commencement and its milestone events and celebrations, including the Spirit of Georgetown award at the Tropaia ceremony. In preparation for Commencement, a time of “sending forth,” we sat down with Malak for an interview that explored her transformative personal story, the meaning of her Georgetown education, and the advice she would like to give to this year’s graduating class. 

This week’s post is an interview with Malak Badeer, a 2022 SCS graduate with an inspiring story of persisting through tragic loss and finding noble purpose. 
  1. Last year, you shared with the SCS community your own story of personal loss and adversity. What inspired you to do that? 

Sharing my story with the SCS community wasn’t easy. The inspiration to share my loss and adversity came after an immense amount of thinking and resentment toward the idea. Initially, I was very hesitant because I did not want to receive pity for my story. I did not want people to feel bad for me or sorry for anything I had to endure. I wanted to share my story with the only intent of shedding light on the reality that life will hit us so hard at times, and it’s up to us to keep moving forward. I want students like me who may be between the decision of giving up or finding the internal strength within yourself to continue moving forward. I invite you to continue moving forward by seeking the support of others, including all the resources in your community.** For instance, for students at Georgetown, the Every Hoya Cares microsite is a good place to start in terms of the supportive resources available.  We all have our struggles and obstacles throughout our lives, and some just come a lot sooner than later, and at times we expect them to happen the least. It’s what we do when we’re facing those struggles that matter. I am sharing my story in this public way because I want others to know that seeking help from others is what helped me keep going and move forward. 

  1. In preparation for Commencement, what are your reflections on this season of graduation? What stands out for you one year after your own graduation? 

I can reflect on this graduation season and say, “I did it.” I overcame those obstacles, and I did it, and I’m so happy that I did. One year later, I began my career in a global organization that feels like home with a manager that I wish for every single one of you. One year later, I was lucky enough to join an organization that embraced me and made me feel at home and wanted to see me flourish alongside a manager who goes above and beyond to ensure it happens. One year later, what stood out the most was that all these difficulties passed, and they finally didn’t weigh as heavy anymore. I hope it reminds all of you that there’s a light at the end of every tunnel. 

  1. What advice would you like to share with students who are preparing to graduate and conclude their time as students at SCS? 

As you conclude your time here at SCS, I want you to know that life will test you in many ways. It will break you and shake you to your core. But I want you to rise above those tests and conquer them with the help of others and understand that your own internal strength in adverse times comes from the community that surrounds you. Do what it takes to be the best version of yourself.  Life is too short. My late husband passed with a dream, a dream to take control of his own life, and as he was reaching that dream, he did not make it. So please, live your life and refuse to have anybody in this world compromise your freedom to live out your true calling. 

  1. How is your Georgetown education shaping the next steps in your professional journey? 

Georgetown began shaping the next steps in my professional journey even before graduation. The quality of knowledge and education I received from my mentors, professors, and educational materials are all quality resources I wouldn’t trade for the world but rather things I would repeatedly go back to for reference over again. If I could take a class every semester for the rest of my life, I would. Knowledge is power, and it’s the building block to shaping our future. I have been able to contribute so much of my knowledge from Georgetown and transform my current business line in many small but effective ways through the power of education that Georgetown University has provided for me, from conducting employee engagement activities within my team and creating a more positive work environment to creating forums to help support colleagues with simplifying team necessities and future goal planning. **Editor’s Note: May is Mental Health Awareness Month and a good reminder to all in our community about Every Hoya Cares, a comprehensive set of resources to assist with mental well-being and connection. You are not alone in your journey at Georgetown.

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Military Veteran and Author Leads Profound Conversation at Georgetown About Faith and Culture

The School of Continuing Studies is proud to serve a student body so connected to the military. The most recent SCS Dean’s Report details this military population, with 250 military-connected students enrolled across SCS programs in the 2021-2022 Academic Year. Georgetown’s commitment to this group is comprehensive with an array of programs and services intended to help veteran students and their families. And Georgetown is also a university, grounded as it is in its Catholic-Jesuit faith heritage, that welcomes and invites conversations about the most significant moral issues facing our world. In this spirit, Georgetown welcomed to campus last week Phil Klay, an award-winning author and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. As part of the Faith and Culture series organized by the president’s office, Klay presented on his recent works, including his much acclaimed most recent novel Missionaries. 

This week’s Mission in Motion shines a light on a recent conversation at Georgetown with military veteran and noted Catholic author Phil Klay. SCS has a considerable population of military-connected students and this recent conversation illuminates their ongoing journey.  

One of the goals of this Mission in Motion blog is to connect the SCS community with events and resources occurring throughout the university. The intimate conversation with Phil Klay in Riggs Library, moderated by Paul Elie, senior fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the director of the American Pilgrimage Project, is an excellent example of how Georgetown engages in critically important moral and ethical conversations in a way that community members across the university can appreciate. I would like to amplify this conversation and encourage you to take a look because I think the 60 minutes of discussion illuminate some of the biggest questions about the moral dimensions of how the United States engages in war in the 21st Century. 

Klay’s writing is motivated by his faith as a Catholic, a journey that has led him to embrace this tradition, leave this tradition, and ultimately return to it. But the meaningfulness of Klay’s insights about what it means to engage in war transcend any particular faith tradition. He is writing about the fundamentally human questions that continue to accompany military action in this time and age. What Klay represents so well in this conversation is the perspective of the person engaged in a war that he or she did not choose but must attend to out of their obligation. What are the lasting impacts of this engagement? How can military and military-connected persons make sense of their experience of war? What does faith have to say about any of this? 

There are no simple or easy answers to any of these questions. But the conversation with Phil Klay demonstrates well that the healthiest and most spiritually mature responses to these conundrums should be openly discussed and considered. I hope that we can all take from this discussion the enormous costs of war, the moral challenges that such war poses for its participants, and the relevance of this conversation for all of us as a university community. 

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Finding God in All Things: An Interview with an SCS Student Pursuing the Common Good Through Real Estate

The academic programs at SCS benefit from the inclusion of a wide range of students who bring with them invaluable personal and professional experience into the classroom experience. As a School at Georgetown committed to a “world-class, values-based education to a diverse array of communities and individuals throughout their academic and professional careers,” SCS attracts students from across the lifecycle of professional experience and industry knowledge who share in a common desire for lifelong learning. In this edition of Mission in Motion, we sit down with Vincent Reppert, a student in the Master of Professional Studies in Real Estate (MPRE) program. Vincent reflects on his career in professional athletics, his decision to apply to Georgetown after years serving as a litigator, and how his faith and the Spirit of Georgetown motivate his passion for learning about real estate. 

This week’s post is an interview with Vincent Reppert, a student in the Master of Professional Studies in Real Estate program. 
  1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. What led you to apply to the Master of Professional Studies in Real Estate? 

I am a practicing real estate attorney and have been for over 20 years.  For much of this time I have served as a litigator, engaged in many real estate issues related to affordable housing, banking, predatory lending, and criminal activities committed by government officials.  Litigation is extremely stressful and it can be detrimental to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So after many years of litigation practice, I discerned that I needed to pursue professional practices that were healthier and more personally meaningful.   As a result, I transitioned into more of a practice representing individuals and investors concerning the development of properties and the acquisition of properties. The decision to change my practice focus was based on lessons I’ve learned in athletics (I played Division I college and professional football) and in my life of faith (I’m a committed Catholic).  In this discernment process, I realized that I wanted to use my God-given talents to become a more generous person who helps people with my knowledge and skills.  Also, as an owner of real estate, I have become interested in understanding the principles and practices of real estate so that I can share my knowledge with others. 

  1. One of the hallmarks of Ignatian Pedagogy, the style of teaching and learning inspired by the Jesuit education tradition, is regular reflection about our lived experiences. How has your career in law informed what you bring to the classroom and your learning experience in the real estate program? 

My athletic experience enabled me to develop a very strong work ethic and allowed me to be aggressive when I needed to be, but also supportive, especially when others are hurting. I have attended Catholic universities like Seton Hall University School of Law. There, I was particularly impacted by a course in Canon Law taught by a priest who practiced in the Vatican.  Through this connection, I was able to attend Canon Law disputes in Rome. This experience gave me a new light on how I viewed not only my profession but my life in general.  I realized that I needed to do something more meaningful than assist wealthy people become even wealthier. While I have no regrets about my legal career, I believe that God has invited me to give back to others in a more meaningful way. I am grateful that the MPRE Program has allowed me to do this in the classroom.  The program and the diverse student and faculty perspectives included in the community have expanded my views about real estate.  I find this component of the MPRE Program invaluable and I believe that my classmates feel the same way.

  1. People for Others is one of the core values of the Spirit of Georgetown. How is your Georgetown education inspiring you to practice real estate in ways that serve the common good? 

My Georgetown education, especially my interaction with my MPRE Program colleagues, has allowed me to offer examples from my own career of how to serve others, which is core to a Jesuit education. For example, I have shared with classmates from my professional experience about an actual development of an affordable housing project in Newark, New Jersey. I represented the developer and owners and that led to the development thanks to a pilot program of 100 percent affordable units in exchange for a 20-year tax abatement. I provided actual testimony from the applicants and tenants, and I also presented actual lease agreements, explaining the provisions in them to the class. My colleagues were extremely grateful and expressed this in their comments.  This was a highlight experience for me in the MPRE Program.  As I reflect on why this was so personally meaningful, I noticed my own enthusiasm about helping others learn from an actual application of professional practice. 

  1. What advice would you give to prospective applicants who are considering graduate study at SCS after years of professional practice? 

I would strongly recommend any person considering graduate study after years of professional practice to pursue it and not to just “think about it.” Life moves very fast and I cannot believe that I am close to completing the program (it feels like just yesterday that I was contemplating an application). I have been able to give a lot, but I have been able to learn just as much by observing the viewpoints of the multiple generations represented in the program.  Again, my advice would be: make choices in your professional life that allow you to share your gifts and talents with others and serve the society. I think of Benjamin Franklin as a role model for continuing education, as his entire life was devoted to continuous, lifelong learning. Pursuing lifelong education is also reflected in Georgetown’s mission and in the values of the Jesuits, who have helped me appreciate Finding God in All Things by valuing the opportunity to learn anew every day.

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SCS Students: 3 Reasons to Consider Signing Up for Upcoming Retreat

The SCS student retreat, “Stepping Outside of the Ordinary,” is taking place May 6-7, 2023. This week’s Mission in Motion makes the case for why students should sign up for one of the limited spots on retreat. (Photo: SCS students at the 2022 spring retreat.) 

The annual SCS overnight student retreat has been announced: from Saturday, May 6 to Sunday, May 7, current SCS students are invited to get away, relax, recharge, and reflect at Georgetown’s Calcagnini Contemplative Center in Bluemont, Va. 

Framed this year as “Stepping Outside of the Ordinary,” this annual milestone has become a celebrated and anticipated event in the life of the School community. Current students are encouraged to sign up early as space is limited and the RSVP deadline is April 28, 2023. The cost is $50 and includes food, lodging (comfortable individual cabins at the retreat center), and transportation (via University-provided bus to the retreat center from the SCS campus at 640 Massachusetts Avenue, NW). Current students can RSVP here.

This year’s retreat takes up the theme of contemplation in action, a Spirit of Georgetown value that invites all of us in this community to reflect deeply on our relationship with time and productivity. Inspired by Georgetown’s multi-faith commitment, this experience will be a welcoming space to people of any faith tradition or none at all; everyone is welcome. The retreat will be led by Jamie Kralovec, SCS Associate Director for Mission Integration, and Rabbi Rachel Gartner, SCS Senior Advisor for Pastoral Care. To gain a better appreciation of what the weekend will entail, check out reflection posts in the SCS Mission and Motion blog like Rabbi Rachel’s on “Seeing and Tasting Life’s Goodness,” Jamie’s on “Becoming a Contemplative in Action,” and a summary of the 2022 student retreat.  

If you’re on the fence about signing up and taking the risk of spending an overnight like this, I offer three reasons for you to say Yes. 

  1. Retreats are a gift! I often begin a retreat experience by inviting participants to give themselves permission to treat themselves to the experience. Sure, retreats are not vacation or a time for total leisure. But the experience of time away from work, home, and other daily obligations, for even 24 hours, is a welcome chance to renew your body, mind, and spirit. Calcagnini is a beautiful slice of earth with excellent accommodations and a setting conducive to fun and lightness of being. So often, participants leave the retreat weekend with a sense of self-renewal. In the course of a year, one might look back at a retreat weekend and continually savor the memories, the self-development, the community-building, etc. Retreats are gifts that keep on giving. 
  1. Connect with community! SCS students are busy with coursework, professional commitments, and obligations at home and in the world. Many of our students finish their programs in a relatively short amount of time. One common refrain I’ve heard from our graduates is this: I wish I had taken even more advantage of my time at Georgetown. Going on retreat with a mix of students from across programs is a rare opportunity to get to know the fullness of the Georgetown community. And venturing out to Calcagnini, the University’s reflective home away from home, is a great way to feel even more connected to the larger enterprise of Georgetown. One of my great joys from co-facilitating this retreat over the years: watching SCS community members make meaningful friendships outside of their program areas. 
  1. Take a chance on your inner life! Georgetown is not shy about proclaiming its mission and values. We are understandably proud to share the Spirit of Georgetown with every generation of Hoyas. Across our traditions and within those traditions is a call to the inner life. All of us need to nurture this dimension of our full selves. Too often, however, the tendency towards activity, productivity, and time-taking works in the opposite direction of prayer, meditation, and quiet pause. All students – regardless of their age and existing religious or spiritual experience – can benefit from the welcome opportunity for contemplative presence that a one-day retreat invites. There is also well-established evidence that interior practices like mindfulness meditation, prayer, and other forms of spiritual activity can benefit your health by reducing stress and anxiety. 

I could go on with more reasons to join the retreat but I will leave it at three. If you are a current SCS student and want to learn more, do not hesitate to reach out with questions about this invaluable experience. 

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Coming Together in Times of Challenge and Loss

This week’s post shines a light on the importance of processing grief and loss as a community. A reflection circle in the SCS interfaith chapel took place this week in response to a loss of life. 

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare so many social realities that had remained below the surface for so many observers. The fragility of our society, already experienced by so many people marginalized and excluded by oppressive social and economic structures, was exposed in profound ways for all to see. Communities across the country and throughout the world suffered immeasurable loss of life and livelihood as a result of a public health event that felt at some point like it would continue indefinitely. Georgetown was no stranger to this suffering, as many in our community of students, faculty, staff, community partners, and alumni endured significant losses during this period and continue to recover the broken pieces. 

The Mission in Motion blog has attempted over time to tell the story for readers about how Georgetown SCS lives out the University’s Jesuit mission and values. What is it about the Spirit of Georgetown, the 10 values taken from our Jesuit heritage and lived out in our multi-faith and interreligious way of proceeding, that brings this diverse, multi-campus community together? So often telling this story brings to the surface instances of great joy and celebration, whether they be student achievements, faculty innovations, university-wide ceremonies like Commencement and Tropaia, or promising examples of being People for Others through community engagement, service, and social justice. But sometimes, the most poignant expressions of mission and values are actualized during times of adversity and loss within the community.  

This week featured such an expression when SCS students, faculty, and staff from Mission and Ministry came together to process as a group the profound feelings, memories, and hopes following the passing of a student. In moments like this, words alone are not sufficient to help a community move through its feelings of grief. It is critically important to create nurturing and supportive shared spaces in which community members can be together in their grief. The bonds that tie a group together depend on mutual trust, reciprocity, and kinship. 

This week’s circle event demonstrated that there is something deeper and bigger, even transcendent, that animates this community of learners. The community circle that gathered did not erase the grief or cease the difficult feelings of loss. But the effort did help the healing process, one that so often takes a very long time. Theological traditions offer insights and resources for how to understand death, but, ultimately, this human experience is such a confounding mystery. In the face of this truth, we might feel consolation in the invitation to confront this reality of loss as a community. 

At Georgetown, students should reach out to Counseling and Psychiatric Service (CAPS) and faculty and staff should reach out to the Faculty & Staff Assistance Program for support in a grieving process. You might also visit the University’s Human Resources website on grief in general. 

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Georgetown Muslims Enter Ramadan, ELC Students Meet with the Imam

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 In this season of Ramadan, Mission in Motion shines a light on the Muslim community at Georgetown. This past week, Georgetown dedicated a new Masjid on the Hilltop campus. 

Georgetown more than welcomes different faith traditions to practice at the University; it invites these communities to flourish with the support of a chaplaincy director and staff from Campus Ministry. This longstanding commitment to interreligious dialogue and multifaith chaplaincy is a characteristic feature of how Georgetown lives out its mission. As Rabbi Rachel Gartner, SCS Senior Advisor for Pastoral Care, laid out in a previous post: “In the context of diversity, community that invites authenticity doesn’t just happen. It has to be carefully constructed.” At Georgetown, Muslim Life is a carefully constructed community under the care of Imam Yahya Hendi, who has been leading Georgetown Muslims for over two decades of service. 

A few weeks ago, the English Language Center (ELC) at SCS hosted a special “Pizza with the Imam” lunch. Primarily intended as a space for Muslim students, this casual lunch provided a welcome opportunity to connect with Imam Hendi over food in a comfortable communal setting between classes. Students asked questions and the Imam was generous in providing his perspective to the students, most who are new to education in the United States and navigating cultural and religious differences as they go about their study. Imam’s partnership with SCS and ELC has been invaluable over the years and has included leading dedicated Muslim prayer for SCS students. Muslim Life at Georgetown offers an array of spiritual programming for students, faculty, and staff and all are encouraged to participate. 

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For more information about spiritual programming for Muslim students, faculty, and staff at Georgetown, check out the Muslim Life homepage. 

In this season of Ramadan, a time of profound dedication for Muslims around the world, it is fitting that Muslim Life at Georgetown celebrated a major milestone this week that affirms the contribution that this community makes to the university. With President DeGioia and a host of other university officials on hand, Georgetown dedicated a new Masjid on the Hilltop that honors Yarrow Mamout, a devout West African Muslim, tradesman, and homeowner in the neighborhood of Georgetown, who achieved his freedom in 1796 at the age of 60, after 44 years of enslavement in Maryland. The beautiful new worship space speaks to the vibrancy of this religious community and the continuing need to attend to the needs of Muslims across Georgetown campuses. 

I wish “Ramadan Kareem” to all Muslims at SCS and across the university. 

For more information about Muslim Life at Georgetown, please visit the Campus Ministry homepage. To sign up for the Muslim Life weekly newsletter, or any of the other religious life newsletters at Georgetown, please complete the chaplaincy newsletter form.

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When Networking Helps Meet the Mission: Le Moyne College Visits SCS

This week, Stacey Corcoran, Georgetown’s Chief Marketing Officer, presented to a group of students from Le Moyne College, a peer Jesuit school in New York, visiting DC during their spring break. 

What comes to mind when you hear the term “networking”? For many, I imagine, this is a concept totally associated with the business of advancing one’s career. In this sense, networking is a necessary but not always enjoyable part of rising in the professional ranks. Students are often encouraged to grow their “network” by attending professional events and initiating contacts with experts in their industries. For many, there is an inherent discomfort in networking because it means taking risks to meet new people and build new relationships that are advantageous to one’s career. Many students come to a university like Georgetown because they believe that Georgetown’s global network of alumni will ultimately be helpful in realizing their professional ambitions. I would like to affirm these aspects of networking but also offer some values-based considerations about this practice. 

The visit from Le Moyne was a powerful reminder about the deeper purpose of networking. All Jesuit schools share a universal mission.

The Jesuits have spoken in recent years about the importance of networking. For a global religious community operating in countries across the world, it is critically important that the Jesuit organization be comprised of local and regional networks that relate to one another through shared projects. Clearly defined networks help ensure that “mission can be carried out,” according to the Jesuits’ General Congregation 34. Realizing universal values like a commitment to justice and the common good requires collaboration and coordination among partners in a defined network. Cooperation is key to realizing the global mission of the Jesuits. Georgetown and the other universities in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities contribute to that mission through the work of higher education. 

This week, SCS engaged in a mission-committed form of Jesuit higher education networking by welcoming to campus a group of undergraduates from our peer Jesuit school, Le Moyne College in New York. The students from Le Moyne, accompanied by staff guides, came to Washington, D.C. for a week of visits during their spring break in order to explore post-graduation opportunities. Through the Manresa Program, a comprehensive, multi-year career preparation and personal development program at Le Moyne, these students are on track to discover how to apply their greatest gifts in life after college. In addition to meeting with Le Moyne alumni in Washington, D.C., the students wanted a more in-depth understanding of graduate and professional education so they reached out to SCS to learn more. 

Chief Marketing Officer Stacey Corcoran and I welcomed Le Moyne to campus for a short tour and an open discussion about how to approach the post-graduation journey. The students were especially interested in learning more about what graduate programs look for in applicants. They also desired more information about how students typically arrive at SCS. It became clear in the interactive conversation that students understood there is no “one-sized-fits-all” model for how one decides to apply to a professional graduate program. Given some baseline familiarity with Ignatian discernment frameworks, I was able to offer some suggestions about how to structure the individual decision-making process after graduation. 

It was reassuring to be with the Le Moyne group because of the kinship due to our shared values as peer Jesuit institutions. While the expression of mission and values might look differently in different contexts, there is a reassuring commonality among Jesuit schools across the world. This one small effort at networking is a reminder of the potential strength of working together as aligned partners with a unified commitment to the principles of Jesuit education. SCS, through its innovative and flexible approach to values-based, mission-committed graduate professional and continuing education, is contributing to this global effort. 

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In Your Shoes: Living the Georgetown Value of Community in Diversity

What does it really mean to pursue community in diversity? 

To address that I start with a point that’s admittedly obvious, but nevertheless warrants emphasizing so we don’t miss the nuanced meaning of this core Georgetown value. 

You’ll note that the value we’re discussing is not simply “Diversity” but “Community in Diversity.” 

Community in Diversity means more than bringing a diverse group of people into a space together and congratulating ourselves for doing so.  Community in Diversity suggests something much deeper, and, to my mind, much more sacred than that. It’s about creating spaces of earned trust and demonstrated care that support each of us in showing up in the fullness of who we are with honesty and authenticity. 

This cherished Spirit of Georgetown value is akin to how Dr. Brené Brown speaks about “belonging.” 

“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”

In the context of diversity, community that invites authenticity doesn’t just happen.  It has to be carefully constructed.

A biodiverse garden in which every species thrives doesn’t just blossom from a bag of mixed seeds. Such beauty takes cultivation; caring, thoughtful, sensitive, sustained, and devoted cultivation. Like tending such a garden, cultivating community in diversity takes careful, thoughtful work. But cultivating community in diversity can be really fun, too, and profoundly rewarding, and reaps abundant beautiful blessings.

One of the most exciting ways I’ve seen Georgetown live its commitment to community in diversity is through a program I am now privileged to work with called In Your Shoes.

A signature methodology of The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, In Your Shoes employs techniques rooted in theatrical performance and dialogue to bring participants of diverse political, cultural, and religious backgrounds and beliefs into deep, challenging, and mutually respectful encounters with one another to foster curiosity, self-discovery, and greater mutual understanding and appreciation. 

The In Your Shoes process is rooted in paired, prompted dialogues between participants. The dialogue prompts give participants space to talk openly in ways that activate their own personal story, rather than merely opinions or statements of belief. Often the topics speak to common experiences that cut across ideological and cultural divides – loneliness, grief, hope, belonging, loss, anxiety about the future, family, faith, and the larger meaning and purpose of our human existence.  These pair conversations are recorded and participants then curate sections of the other person’s words and transcribe into a script.  Participant pairs then return to the group (or in some cases also to an outside audience), and metaphorically step into one another’s shoes by performing one another’s words!  

The results of the In Your Shoes simple but profound process are incredibly moving to experience and to behold. 

It’s no wonder to me that In Your Shoes has attracted feature stories in The Washington Post and on PBS Newshour!  I especially encourage you to enjoy the PBS coverage of a recent iteration of In Your Shoes involving members of Georgetown University and Patrick Henry College

In the coming months, In Your Shoes will be expanding its offerings. I’ll share these opportunities with the SCS community as they develop, and hopefully have the blessing of moving through the process with members of the SCS community towards ever greater community in all our beautiful diversity.

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A Mission Focus on Environmental Sustainability During a Warm Winter Week

The occasion of unexpectedly warm weather this week in Washington, D.C., while welcomed as an interruption of a cold stretch as well as a reminder of the warmer months to come, can also point our attention to the reality of a warming climate.

This week’s post explores Georgetown’s mission commitment to environmental sustainability and how all of us are called to engage in the work of repairing the natural world.

Mission in Motion has previously explored the mission-based university commitments to environmental sustainability that arise out of the Spirit of Georgetown, namely the value of Care for Our Common Home. The launching point for this particular value is the articulation of a morally informed environmental vision of Pope Francis in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si. In that document, Pope Francis comprehensively addresses the spiritual, economic, social, and cultural components that have led to our environmental crisis and the ongoing threats from climate change. Engaging the best of science and empirical research, while grounded in an ecumenical and multi-faith humanistic appeal, Pope Francis invites urgent action: 

“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenges we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.” 

Such an urgent appeal should implicate all that we do at the university. And at SCS, the pursuit of environmental sustainability should inform our approach to teaching, learning, community engagement, and facilities and operations. The School has already made a major commitment in this way through its certified LEED Gold campus building as certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The environmental crisis is so significant that it has to be a coordinated, multi-pronged local, national, and international strategy. But we can all do our part in this shared effort.

So in this season, I invite you to consider three questions below to reflect upon and then consider developing an ongoing plan of action. Such questions are especially fitting in this moment of the religious calendar, with the Christian community going through the time of Lent and the Jewish community preparing for Passover. Both of these religious events invite deeper self-reflection about the way that we are called to take part in the repair of our broken and bruised world. 

Three questions for you to consider in that spirit of a social motivated-commitment to healing the earth: 

  1. What have I done to make my local community, the places that I live and work, and the wider world more environmentally sustainable? 
  1. What am I doing to make my local community, the places that I live and work, and the wider world more environmentally sustainable? 
  1. And what ought I do to make my local community, the places that I live and work, and the wider world more environmentally sustainable? 

As you ponder these questions, I invite you to explore Georgetown’s education and practice resources for developing a personal action plan. Check out the research-based Earth Commons Institute and the Office of Sustainability. 

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A Week of Welcomes: SCS Opens Its Doors and Its Heart

This week’s post shines a spotlight on two events of hospitality this week at SCS: the prospective student open house and a Valentine’s Day rose giveaway sponsored by GradGov. 

This week, the SCS community opened its doors for the first in-person prospective student open house in more than three years. The well-attended event featured dedicated program staff and faculty sharing insights about SCS with everyone who made their way to the downtown campus. With festive music and a generous spread of food, visitors experienced first-hand the hospitality and mission commitment of the SCS community. 

A recent Mission in Motion post explored the School’s biennial marketing campaign, themed this year as “Be continued.” As I walked around the open house, I noticed how prospective SCS students manifested the energy of the campaign. As they waited in line to talk to a particular faculty member or made spontaneous conversation over food with fellow prospects, these visitors to the SCS campus displayed an eagerness and an enthusiasm about their professional futures. And this future-directed energy from potential students was received warmly by friendly and informative staff and faculty. Conversations were more than interactions that transacted information. I noticed meaningful conversation occurring on multiple floors of the building. 

The culture of an organization is reflected in its people. In this way, the community of SCS faculty and staff are the living embodiment of the Spirit of Georgetown. A student’s enriching experience of meaning, belonging, and purpose at SCS arises from the tremendous efforts of the faculty and staff community working in a coordinated way to deliver on the promise of a Georgetown education. The scale of this enterprise and the many parts involved is not always visible to students. But the open house revealed how the SCS staff and faculty community work together to make the mission come alive. 

This poetic prayer, “Falling in Love,” is a fitting message for the care and support that students, faculty, and staff extend to one another as part of their shared work of teaching and learning. 

Later in the day, the SCS community again put the mission into motion. SCS GradGov members, the elected students who represent the School on the university-wide graduate student governance body, passed out free roses in the late afternoon preceding evening classes. Everyone was invited to take some flowers as a token of appreciation. I even noticed that the students purposefully placed boxes of roses in staff office areas with a note of: Thank you for your work! I observed how fellow staff members embraced this gesture of gratitude on Valentine’s Day. The dynamic of mutuality required in a well-functioning structure of relationships between students, staff, and faculty points to the deeper meaning and purpose of a Georgetown education. 

This GradGov initiative coupled with the open house on Valentine’s Day brought to mind the poetic prayer, “Falling in Love.” Often attributed to former Jesuit Superior General Pedro Arrupe, this prayer reflects the ways that having a durable and abiding purpose in life and work, anchored in a dynamic relationship with God or whatever one names as the transcendent Other or mysterious ultimate in their life, is the motivation that sustains everything. I like to think that events taking place on this Valentine’s Day reveal the loving commitment and deeper sense of purpose that students, faculty, and staff bring to the shared endeavor of professional and continuing education at Georgetown SCS.