Reflecting on the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference

The theme of this year’s National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference (NJSLC) was “Be the Light”. At first glance, I was skeptical about what this phrase meant and how it could be embodied within a 5-day conference. Yet, within the first day of arriving at Canisius College, the site of NJSLC 2015, I saw this theme exemplified in many forms. Each day, we had numerous workshops led by volunteer students from across the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities who talked about how they were implementing different policies at their respective institutions. One of the best sessions I attended was one by a student from Saint Peter’s University. In it, she explained Saint Peter’s program that supported first generation college students and her own research in the subject. While her content and preparedness for the presentation was great, I was more blown away by the level of passion she had for this program and her school. She described in detail how her program embodied Jesuit values and the great impact it had made on these first generation students.

Her passion for her institution exemplifies what is so amazing about Jesuit colleges and universities. Every person I have met from these places has approached life so enthusiastically. Each of them are embodying the motto, “Be the Light”. This conference reminded me about the importance of passion and how none of our projects matter unless we believe in them and ourselves.

Written by En Gin Moe , F’16