Class of ‘20 Leave their Marq
Graduates reflect on their time with the Center for Peacemaking
The graduating class of 2020 had their senior year cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they still accomplished as much as any other class in the time they were on campus. This is especially true at the Center for Peacemaking.
We asked a few of our 2020 graduates to reflect on their involvement at the Center for Peacemaking.
Lauren Enriquez
Involvement: CRS Ambassador and SOA-Watch Border Encuentro
When I moved 1,753 miles away from home and came to Marquette University I knew that I was looking for a community and was looking forward to a transformative four years. The problem was, I didn’t know how to find that transformative experience.
I enjoyed a calm and laid-back dorm life and bonded with my Honors Living Learning Community but I wanted to go deeper. I enjoyed doing service in Milwaukee on the South side and liked learning about the world in my Global Politics classes but again, I wanted more. Then one the older girls on my floor was telling me about how much she loved her campus job where she got to do advocacy work to address human trafficking and plan events for Earth Day. This sounded like a dream to me and when I heard that there was an opening on the team, I jumped at the opportunity. This was my introduction to the Center for Peacemaking.
From the beginning, the atmosphere of the Center felt like home. I was lucky enough to be a Catholic Relief Services Student Ambassador all four years through the Center for Peacemaking. We worked to address issues of Climate Change, Migration, Human Trafficking, and Global Hunger. The Center gave us a platform to plan events to raise awareness of these issues on campus, as well as engage with the Milwaukee community to shed light on how these issues were relevant and being tackled in Milwaukee.
I learned how global issues such as human trafficking — that I naively thought were only issues in developing countries — were taking place just streets away from where I lived. Through my job as a CRS Ambassador, I got to engage in advocacy with government leaders on a state and national level and attend a national conference in Washington D.C., where I met other students working on the same issues.
As much as my job on the CRS team shaped my experience with the Center, it was the extra things that made it so special and sacred to my college experience. My boss of four years became like a “Midwest Mom” to me and there were many a day that she lifted me up and encouraged me to keep going in my most exhausted and stressed states. And I felt mentored by all the employees — especially Pat — who personally invested in me and my development.
It is hard to pick just one memory to peg as my favorite with the Center. The many all-nighters I pulled studying there with my friends during midterm and finals weeks, as well as attending the CRS Milwaukee fundraiser every fall at the Wisconsin Club are among the most notable. I think my favorite memory was going to the School of the America’s Watch Border Encuentro. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a transformative experience that shaped my view of immigration policy and the need for a more humane immigration system in this country.
As I sit and reflect on my last four years that seemed to go by in an instant, I cannot imagine my college experience being as meaningful or life changing as it was without the Center for Peacemaking. From biblical foundations I formed my own reasoning for why peacemaking is the most effective way to settle disputes. As an individual I was nurtured, supported, and invested in through my involvement with the Center.
I am filled with immense gratitude for my time at the Center. It is where I learned what justice looks like. It is where I learned that peace is possible. It is where I learned what peacemaking can and should look like in my own life, in my community, and in the world.
Zoe Gunderson
Involvement: Peace Studies major and Communications Assistant
I remember the first time I walked into the Center for Peacemaking my sophomore year. I was shy and nervous, but excited to learn more about the Peace Studies program and how to supplement my academics by getting involved with the Center.
At this point, I had changed my mind on what I wanted to study more times than I can remember. I had many interests and I didn’t want a major where I would feel stuck in a certain career path. I knew I wanted to help people and I wanted to be able to explore my interests through my major. I looked carefully at every single major offered by Marquette, searching for the right fit. That’s when I found out about Peace Studies. I’d never heard anything like it, and I wanted to know more.
A week after my first visit to the Center, I declared both of my majors: Peace Studies and French. And I eventually added two minors: Digital Media and Criminology and Law Studies. Because Peace Studies is interdisciplinary, I could take classes in almost any department. I took Political Science classes, Criminology, Theology, and Anthropology. I even got to take some French classes for Peace Studies such as Francophone Human Rights.
At the beginning of my junior year, I started working as a Communications Assistant at the Center for Peacemaking. I found it to be the perfect way to apply my digital media skills while also working for an organization directly tied to peacemaking. Through this role, I learned about peace journalism and how it can improve prospects for peace and nonviolence. Additionally, I designed t-shirts and stickers to help promote Peace Studies. The Center allowed me to explore my creative interests and supplement my academic studies.
My Senior year was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. It makes me sad when I try to remember what I did on my last day there or that I never got to say goodbye in person. I’m grateful for the time I did have at Marquette, the Center, and with the wonderful people that I met. I will forever cherish the memories of working with my fellow Communication Assistants. My journey as an undergraduate student at Marquette University has ended, but I will carry each experience with me for the rest of my life.
Elizabeth Killian
Involvement: PARC Research Assistant and J-Session Study Abroad in India
My Marquette experience would not have been what it is without the Center for Peacemaking. I started working at the Center during my first semester at Marquette, and I continued to work on the PARC initiative throughout all my four years at Marquette. Along the way, the Center supported me in starting a student organization called CAMPus Impact, and provided the opportunity to study peacemaking abroad in India.
My first project was surveying residents about their perceptions of the Near West Side. Canvassing allowed me to see the incredible amount of assets that are present in the neighborhood and to meet and hear so many stories from residents. I came to feel that I wasn’t just a student, but also was a community member. This feeling pushed me to share the beauty of the Near West Side with other Marquette students through CAMPus Impact.
CAMPus Impact is a service organization I started with two other students that focuses on service, experience, and relationships. CAMPus Impact gave students an outlet to explore the Near West Side neighborhood beyond Marquette, and one example of this was creating our fall break service and immersion experience. One of my favorite moments from these experiences was playing with youth at Neighborhood House and building relationships with those who work in the Near West Side.
During my Junior year, the memories I made with the Center for Peacemaking expanded to India. I participated in the J-session study abroad course on Theology and nonviolence with Dr. Irfan Omar, Pat Kennelly, Sherri Walker, and Dr. Norah Johnson. The two-week experience pushed me to view the world with a new lens. I learned about many different religions and about the teachings and role of nonviolence in each of them. I was able to see and experience a new culture in a way I never thought I would.
I’ve spent countless hours at the Center for Peacemaking: working, studying, and just stopping in to say hello. I formed friendships, received an incredible amount of support, and found joy in every moment there. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of such an incredible community at the Center for Peacemaking throughout my four years at Marquette.
Congratulations to all 2020 graduates! We are proud of you and appreciate all the ways you enriched the Center for Peacemaking and Marquette!
