Back to the Heart

I haven't said this out loud just yet but one of my New Year's Resolutions was to remember where I came from.  No, not Jersey.  Sacred Heart University.  While I was born and raised in Jersey and have returned to my home state, I did the most growing up at SHU.  That place and the people I met there taught me so much about life, responsibility, citizenship, and just how to be a pretty decent person.  I'll never forget the lessons I've learned there, but sometimes I get lazy and take the easy route around things.  I owe Sacred Heart so much more than that (no, not student loans.)  I owe them demonstration of what they taught me...and I need to show that its mission and lessons are present in all that I do.  I know that it might sound a little cultish when I say that, but really, Sacred Heart means that much to me - it saved my life and made it all at once.

So, since I've made this agreement with myself, I can already see the changes happening.  My concentration levels have gone up and my productivity and clarity at work has increased dramatically.  

I've always said if I had a lot of money, I'd give a lot of it to SHU (probably just to their Res Life program, as that's where I learned the most). I don't have a lot of money (yet) so I need to give back in other ways.  Living by SHU's mission is one way, but getting involved is another.  So, this week I am participating in a phone meeting with the Alumni Executive Council and have also agreed to host an extern - a SHU student who will come and career shadow me for a day or so.  

I can't wait for the meeting to see what it's all about! The one thing I'm sure of is that it'll feature a group of SHU Alums who take pride in their Alma Mater and who remain knowledgeable of self, rooted in faith, educated in mind, compassionate in heart, responsive to social and civic obligations, and able to respond to an ever-changing world.