Who benefits from my story?
My journey almost certainly starts meeting specific people. It beckons my interest in the labor movement and now the international labor movement. I certainly learned that my mental health is important and see many revered Vincentian figures similarly seek out individuals in their struggle too. The reflection is focused on providing a clearer idea about Vincentian ideals and just my Vincentian journey. I don’t hold these figures up especially St. Vincent without criticism. I don’t believe that anybody should be looked on with omnipotence because this feeling does not encompass all the imperfections in individuals’ lives. My experience with Vincentian service is critical because I have grown up with the belief to do things with kindness and wholeheartedness. I am essentially saying that I have done things up to this point with my fullest aspirations and never made others feel bothered by my attitude. I feel that my beliefs were questioned in the previous two years from 2019–2021. I knew myself better than anyone that I needed to recuperate before I could return to my current state.
A quick story about Vincentian ideals is my abuelo grandpa in English telling me about the support from strangers when he settled in the US with his family of 5 children and wife, my abuela. He had this person I’ll just say Danny help our family so much that he even provided cars for my tias, my abuelos’ daughters. From this point on, my family has leaned into the saying, “si se puede, lo hacimenos, si no, los damos much apoyo”. In English, it roughly translates to “if it is possible, we will do it, if not, we will offer a lot of support.”
I’m reminded of a letter from St. Vincent to Edmond Mauljean, especially when he says, “we sometimes meet good people who wish to make a general confession, and because we very often encounter reserved cases, find it difficult to send them away.” My immediate reflection of this quote is we meet special people in our lives, people who embody all the righteous traits, and it is difficult to leave them. I decided I would stretch out this interpretation. I would say that my Vincentian story starts early on in my life. I would see the world as a open grill ready for me to throw various goodies on it until I went to a PWI for a high school. I didn’t realize that my time there stunted my academic growth and self-esteem. I essentially went back on my growth from middle school to high school because I didn’t want the identity of a new kid stand out. It’s truly saddening that I had a wealth of support and tossed it because I couldn’t maintain my self-respect. I see this story with St. Vincent and Edmond Mauljean as a cautionary tale that kindness is not enough for your own identity, and it doesn’t separate you from those reserved cases.
Unfortunately, that’s when I realized that I needed to home in on kindness as my identity. I wanted as many individuals to remember me as the kindest kid in town. Until going to DePaul, and even I realized not too long ago probably before the trip to Paris, I still carried identities others put on me.
When I started to become independent and reliant on my family’s stories was my time abroad in Budapest, Hungary. I met so many people that influenced my behavior; I didn’t want to continue anything before the summer of 2021. So, I had a wealth of experiences because of this decision, I ended up going to more than 8 countries and that’s just from the top of my head. I also met people that I otherwise would have been intimidated to interact and engage with. I even feel my experience studying abroad in Budapest influenced my character and decisions in Paris, France. I started putting an emphasis on the present while I was meeting people in Budapest, Hungary. I feel I have embodied the Vincentian value of service and systemic change because I have learned to listen to the dignity of every human story.
One of the experiences during the VHT shaped my understanding of the Vincentian spirit and Vincentian leadership. When we were in the archives with the Daughters of Charity, I remember we talked about the role the Daughters played for labor rights.
My Pentecost came from learning Daughter of Charity Margret Chetiv led the initiative for ordinary young women to have professional training. I also have the notes, union off legal framework offer, then rudimentary retirement when didn’t exist, all a lot of half thoughts. I will add that all of this should be taken with a grain of salt. My advice for future VHT students or anyone reading this before they go to France, I would take better notes using the who, what, where, when, why, and how structure. I would also ask the Daughters of Charity located at the Maison des Filles de la charité. The location is 136–140 de la, 140 Rue du Bac, 75007 Paris, France. I just know learning about the Daughters of Charity relationship with labor rights as my “arrival at the center”.
I will explain the video, and its relation to my mission statement and Vincentian wisdom to my mission statement. I used to work for the Egan office as one of their tutors. I eventually joined their Communications team because I wanted to expand my portfolio and exercise my capacity. My mission statement is I carry with me curiosity, vulnerability, joy, kindness, and inclusivity. The Vincentian wisdom of learning how and when to ask the question “what must be done?” is present in this video and experience. The Egan office showed me although I didn’t have the knowledge at the time where my career in public relations can give back to the world. My six months with the Egan office as a 20-year-old is significant in my Vincentian leadership journey because I combined my mission statement with Vincentian wisdom.
As I move towards the conclusion of this reflection, I would say that I always thought about supporting people, but I would first go towards the communities in more critical conditions. I have always been led to do the right thing. I felt I was ahead of my time watching a film analysis video on YouTube about Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing.
I would say that I will naturally gravitate towards helping communities in relation to age, language, and ability. I want to emphasize inclusivity in my future service after DePaul. I have even thought about providing service to the migrants at Wilbur Wright College because I feel a personal attachment from my family’s story.
I want to live out my mission statement and compared to the beginning I have started to explore what brings me happiness. I have the following images with my girlfriend to share because I have felt happiness finding my community and doing the right thing.
