Evan Turpen

Prof. Andrew Miller

UNIV 390 Final Written Reflection
13 April 2015
The man
is fumbling in his empty pockets for change.
I feel a lot like that.
Okay Lowell Jaeger
I first learned about the Social Justice Internship program while
studying abroad last spring in Rome, Italy, after a friend recommended I look
into the opportunity. We had been discussing what we had recently seen
firsthand in Rome, shortly after our arrival to the peninsula. In short, Italy
proved to be a bit different than I expected, as I quickly found that several
ethnic minorities were vehemently excluded, both politically and socially,
from the Italian culture and citizenry. Before studying abroad, I always
prided myself on my volunteer experience, participating in foundations such
as Habitat for Humanity and others throughout high school and early
collegiate career. After finding myself in the middle of such overt injustices
in Italy, however, I realized that I was not in touch with the root causes of
these issues; No matter how badly I desired, I had no idea how to act upon
them. I often felt like the man in the epigraph above not knowing where to
find the change that I need. In this realization, I found an opportunity to
expand my knowledge and participate in a program that would fill the void of
skills I desired The Social Justice Internship.
While doing some research about the program, I read the online bio for
Justin, the intern in the position I currently hold for the year before. As a

Finance major, I wanted to be sure the skills I acquired in the internship

would transfer well after I finished the program. Justin described his position
as being a nexus of direct service work tied along side the strategic
coordination of both large and small-scale events within the organization. I
was confident that this could be a role that would concurrently interest me,
allow me to contribute in an impactful way to the organization, and give me
the interpersonal skills to serve marginalized communities in Chicago. With
this aim, I tailored my application and interview to reflect my interest in this
specific position. Fortunately, I was able to secure this role in the Volunteer
Relations department at Catholic Charities.
The program began with an overnight retreat to the Brother David
Darst Center, where all of the interns were able to meet for the first time.
The Darst Center provided an environment that fostered open discussion
about what social justice meant to each of us and what we hoped to
accomplish during the internship. There, we read Fr. Dan Hartnetts The
Justice Circle, which outlines four steps to being a leader (i.e. Experience,
Understanding, Imagination, and Action), possessing the spirit of solidarity
that is affective, intelligent, and practical. At the time, I thought this was
some sort of sweeping generalization that in no way could be applied to all
leaders. I came to find out, while reflecting upon my supervisor Zulma
Colons leadership style, that Fr. Hartnett was more right than I had known. I
had simply not understood the context in which the Jesuit was describing a
particular leadership style. I soon found that in the line of service work,

leadership must take a much different approach than the leadership I had
experience with thus far in my life.
During the retreat, I also remember studying the two feet of service
work for the first time (i.e. one being direct service work through
volunteering, or a more hands-on approach, and the other being indirect
service work through policy change and advocacy). At that time, I was
almost positive I was more inclined and more capable to practice the latter,
indirect service. Although I have developed those skills and learned much
more about the indirect service work Catholic Charities does and its
importance, I have undoubtedly developed an affinity toward direct service
work. Reflecting on my internship, my fondest memories consistently stem
from the Tuesday Night Suppers or working with volunteers during the
Celebration of Giving. Before this experience, I could not imagine the true
joy that comes from serving others and seeing the results right in front of my
eyes. It is something that is hard to put to words, but something I know I will
continue to do long after this internship ends.
Catholic Charities of Chicago is the largest social service nonprofit
organization of the larger Catholic Charities body worldwide. It functions
locally in both Cook and Lake county, serving thousands of individuals and
families of varying economic, religious, and social backgrounds alike.
Catholic Charities seeks to set up community centers in Chicagos most
impoverished neighborhoods to give aid to those who need it most. At
Catholic Charities, I hold a unique position where I am able to interact

intimately with several of the varying agencies that comprise the overall
organization (e.g. Refugee Resettlement, Homelessness Prevention,
Childcare Development, etc.) While some of the interns in the Social Justice
Internship program worked specifically in one of these agencies, I have had
the opportunity to work in a quasi behind-the-scenes role, where the team I
work within Volunteer Relations serves all of these individual agencies at
both an administrative and service level.
Aside from the administrative strides I feel I helped the Volunteer
Relations make during my time within the organization, I would like to reflect
on my direct service work that, in my opinion, affected my life in the most
meaningful way. During the first semester of my internship, I assisted
heavily with organizing the Celebration of Giving program, which provided
over 600 families and 7,000 children with some sort of gift(s) for Christmas
morning in 2014. Initially, I was processing the applications for the clients in
the program, which each contained a small bio of their respective situations.
I felt as if I had some insight into each individual familys lives and struggles,
however, it was hard to understand how much of an impact I was making.
Once the hands on work began in December, I realized the generosity of the
hearts of some donors, making a struggling strangers situation a priority
above their own. It was obvious to see what these gifts meant to the
caseworkers, who knew these clients intimately. It became easier to infer
from their reactions what it would truly mean for the clients themselves.

One weekly program I assist with as both a volunteer and coordinator

is the Tuesday Night Suppers, a weekly hot meal for local individuals in-need.
During this, I have become very close with the regular weekly volunteers,
whom with I have developed true friendships. Some of them have been
volunteering for longer that twenty years for this same program and are true
professionals. Along with this, I have developed relationships with several of
the clients. Being able to catch up weekly with people like Jeff and Sue, who
have become comfortable talking candidly about their progress and
struggles with me, has made the experience even more worthwhile. There is
no question in my mind that I will continue to be at Catholic Charities on
Tuesday nights this summer, next school year, and beyond if I am able.
When I tell someone that I am one of ten Social Justice interns at
Loyola, it is hard to say that I do not do so with a bit of pride or, moreover,
embracing the sense of responsibility this position holds. Consistently, I am
asked, Well, what does social justice even mean? I have to admit; I think
my definition of the phrase is always evolving with my experiences, as it
should be. I have learned that social justice is not a catchall phrase, nor
does it mean the same thing to everyone. With that said, however, I know
that the term social justice holds the same values, goals, and understandings
at a core level in each of the interns perspective. Though it is easy to
default to saying social justice means everyone deserves equal economic,
political, and social rights and opportunities. Though that is correct and I
wholeheartedly agree with that statement, sometimes I feel it falls a bit flat

to what social justice is truly trying to accomplish addressing and

understanding core issues and root causes of injustices, being an ally with
the capacity to help those who are in-need, and promoting the fair treatment
of all through service work. Because of this, I find myself revisiting the
Aspiring Ally Identity Development table for social justice our class studied
during our retreat. I feel that this representation of term represents a
broader, and at the same time more precise, explanation of the word. It has
truly been a guiding tool during my time participating in this program.
The mission of the Engaged Learning program at Loyola promises to
expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and
faith, while helping students expand their knowledge skills and values. As I
began to reflect upon my internship and the Engaged Learning course, I
revisited the application essays that awarded me the position in the first
place. In reply to the query, Please tell us how you think participating in the
Social Justice Internship Grant Program will benefit your personal,
educational, and professional aspirations, I asserted, among other things,
that I know working closely with a Chicago-based organization will open my
eyes to social injustices I may not realize exist in the city I call home and how
I may be able to help further. Before this experience, I was admittedly
nave to the struggles, stories, and strengths of the diverse communities in
Chicago. Looking back, I kind of see my old-self as a leech only taking from
Chicago what I need, somewhat abusing the assets it has to offer, and
certainly not engrained in the community.

From this internship, I have been able to hear accounts from my fellow
classmates of the incredible work that their organizations do, learn more
about the social issues in certain neighborhoods of the city, but, most
importantly, discover the assets this city has to offer to help rival even some
of the greatest injustices. Because of this internship, Ive developed
relationships within Catholic Charities that will give me the capacity to,
pardon the clich, make a difference. I have grown considerably both
professionally and individually, learning how to manage varying personalities
in coordinating volunteer events, while being an effective team member in
the offices in the back-end. This experience has given me the diversity of
skills to instill a new perspective in the institutions or companies I may work
for in my future. With this experience in my repertoire, I will have the
confidence to be a leader when the situation demands it, while also having
the courage to be a follower when a leader needs one. The first time I
visited the posting of this position on Loyolas website, I read a quote from
the late Margaret Mead, that still heads the page today: Never doubt that a
small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,
it is the only thing that ever has. Although what we did in this year-long
program may not change the world, I am certain that my work at Catholic
Charities helped change someones world, whether it was providing a warm
supper when someone needed it most, or helping a mother giver her family
the Christmas they always deserved but could not afford.