ND, SMC seniors respond to call to serve
ANDREW THAGARD
Assistant News Editor
Not long after Nick Fonte receives his diploma, the upcoming Notre Dame graduate will pack his bags and head to Honduras to work 27 months in an orphanage that serves 60 children.
Fonte was accepted into the Farm of the Child program, named for the site's farm where participants grow food. The program also operates a Catholic school and health clinic serving surrounding villages.
"We're doing all kinds of things," Fonte said of the service program. "I know I have gifts and I want to share them with poor children."
But Fonte is just one of many Notre Dame and Saint Mary's graduates who choose to pursue service after their time in South Bend. This year, graduates are continuing a long-standing trend of giving back after they graduate — about 180 seniors at Notre Dame, 10 percent of the graduating class, have committed to do service in the coming months, according to Andrea Smith Shappell, director of Senior Transition Programs at the Center for Social Concerns.
"It's pretty amazing. It's one of the best things about Notre Dame," Shappell said.
Saint Mary's also boasts a post-graduate volunteer rate of about 10 percent. This year between 25 and 30 graduating seniors are planning to volunteer, according to Sister Linda Kors, director of Volunteer Services and the S.U.R.V. Center, a volunteer resource center.
"Some said they hadn't had a lot of time in their college years and now is the time," Kors said of those who are pursuing service.
This year's Notre Dame group, which is 60 percent female and 40 percent male will volunteer through 40 different programs in 20 nations. Aside from big-name programs like the Alliance for Catholic Education, Americorps, Peace Corps and Teach for America, graduates from both institutions are also pursuing service through Catholic Charities, Jesuit Volunteer Corps and Dominican Volunteers.
Indeed, many seniors cite their experiences volunteering at Notre Dame and Saint Mary's as a reason for considering post-graduate service.
Fonte, for example, has worked with the Center for Social Concerns since his sophomore year.
The PLS major has also spent summers performing service, volunteering in Chile and living in a house for disabled homeless people not far from his home in Orange County, Calif.
"It was absolutely insane," Fonte said of his experience in California. "There were over 40 people who lived in the house and yard. I've grown up in a fairly affluent family and this was right in my back yard."
Saint Mary's senior Katrina Weibel agreed that time spent doing service through the College influenced her decision to travel to China in August to teach English with the Maryknoll Mission. The psychology and MIS double major attended an Appalachia service trip one summer and worked at Pet Refuge, a no-kill animal shelter in South Bend.
Students were also motivated to pursue post-graduate service for social and religious reasons.
Elizabeth Willkom is participating in a 2 1/2-year service program through the Holy Cross Associates in Chile. Willkom will be working with children in orphanages and grade schools built and run by the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
Willkom, who studied abroad in Chile, chose the program partially because of its religious ties and her experiences in the country.
"I kind of knew I wanted to go the service route at the beginning of my senior year," she said. "It seems like an awesome way to go back to Chile and work with people. They have a strong sense of faith, and I really wanted a faith-based program."
The most popular service program for this year's graduating class was ACE. Forty-five outgoing Notre Dame seniors are enrolled in the teaching program in addition to students from Saint Mary's. The program places young adults in schools across the nation and awards a master's degree in education at its completion.
"It's a great opportunity," said Jared Marx, who is participating in the program in Oklahoma City. "I looked at Peace Corps and Holy Cross Associates. They do great work, but I wanted to do something domestic."
Although a slow economy is keeping some graduates from finding a job, Shappell dismissed the idea that leaner times are forcing more students into service.
"There is no increase [due to the economy]," she said. "We're holding right at 10 percent. One young woman had three job offers and is turning them down for service. It's a deeper motivation."
Indeed, many students going into service after graduation made their decision long before the economic downturn and most plan to eventually enter graduate school or the job market after their initial commitment.
Many, however, anticipate that their service experiences will affect their future plans.
"I feel like this experience will shape who I am and give me a new outlook," Willkom said.
All News Stories for Friday, May 17, 2002
