Campus Ministry
Student Leader Called Back to Callings
By Josh Romo
Having now experienced Callings as both a participant and leader, I can say that it has been one of the most rewarding experiences that UD provides its students.
I am a rising sophomore from San Antonio, Texas majoring in Chemical Engineering. I had only been to UD’s campus once before choosing to apply to UD. Further, nobody I knew was going to or had heard of UD except for it being the team that destroyed their NCAA Basketball brackets. Thus, deciding to attend UD was one of the most challenging decisions of my life in that I knew absolutely no one and would be a 24 hour drive from my family.
That being said, the Callings program went above and beyond in making my transition to UD simple and enjoyable. It did this by introducing me to a group of people who were interested in getting involved on campus, connecting with others, and connecting with their faith life. It provided me the opportunity to familiarize myself with UD’s campus and resources as well as the city of Dayton and the service opportunities within it. It made UD feel like my home, gave me a set of friends to rely on, provided mentors to look up to, and encouraged me to search for my vocation. The friends I made on Callings have continued to be some of my best, and I truly consider them family.
My favorite day of the whole program is the service day. It was the perfect opportunity to see the Marianist charism and the vocation theme of Callings align themselves together in the form of different service organizations around Dayton. I went to Mission of Mary Farm, where I was able to first encounter my love for sustainability and human rights. Since then my passion for sustainability and human rights has continued to grow and has influenced where I want to take my education as well as how I live my life. I do not think I would have found this passion without the experiences and people of Callings.
When the opportunity to lead Callings arrived, I did not hesitate to apply. I ended up leading both weeks of Callings 2016 (returning to Mission of Mary for both), and I absolutely loved it. You become even closer with the other leaders who attended Callings and get the opportunity to be a role model to incoming students. If you are thinking about attending Callings, do it. If you are thinking about leading Callings, do it.