A Certain Kind of Freedom
The liberation of a Jesuit education
By Melissa Sanko, The University of Scranton ‘10, ‘12
Even before I was #JesuitEducated, I knew that once I was, I would be forever changed and forever grateful. Graduates would talk about the “Magis” when I went on college visits — they told me “you will never be the same person after attending a Jesuit college or university.” I believed it immediately, because as soon as I became a student at the University of Scranton, this “Magis” suddenly brought interesting people into my life.
When I would meet other #JesuitEducated people, we would have conversations, deep conversations about our bond. This bond is not like that of collegiate athletics fans. It is different at Scranton; we don’t even have a football team! (Undefeated since 1960 — Go Royals!) It does not separate competitors from one college to the next. Our bond brings people together from 28 institutions of higher learning!
From a young age, I was fortunate to visit Scranton’s campus on a regular basis. My father has been a faculty member for the past 25 years and even before that, my mother was a staff member. The values they brought home and raised my siblings and me with were from the Jesuits — I just did not know it until I formally became #JesuitEducated and had that “ah-ha!” moment! Perhaps, that is why when I attended Scranton for both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, it felt like home. Beyond that “home” feeling, I could not put a name to this powerful emotion I would get on crisp fall afternoons walking down the commons; on cold winter nights when the lighting was just perfect for studying in the library; on spring mornings when the flowers were just beginning to bud in the rose garden; or especially on the summer nights when I was at home and longed to get back to campus and be among like-minded classmates in the fall!
For several years after graduating, my daily commute to work would take me past every school I ever attended — preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, college and graduate school. I have fond memories from all of those schools, but when I would drive through the University of Scranton, I would get that feeling. It was a feeling I thought I would be able to escape. I could not then, and I cannot now.
It has been five years since I earned my bachelor’s degree; it has been three since I earned my master’s degree. Just recently, I have finally been able to name the emotion I feel when I think of my time spent at Scranton — it is freedom! Just like any college student, I experienced a newfound feeling of freedom to do what I wanted with my time and to study what interested me. But, at a Jesuit college or university, this freedom goes beyond that and is the freedom to be who you are — as a person, and as an intellectual. I was free to think, but even more important, I was free to express my thoughts — free to just be human in this world.
Melissa Sanko earned both her bachelor’s degree in communication (2010) and master’s degree in human resources (2012) from The University of Scranton. She has past experience as a professional writer, having published many articles for a monthly regional lifestyle magazine. In her leisure, she continues to love creative writing. A native of Northeast Pennsylvania, Melissa enjoys outdoor adventures and finding new ways to express her creative flair!
