This week our Campus Celebrity is the wonderful Emilie Christie. She is a freshman at JCU, who plans on majoring in International Business with a concentration in Language and Culture. Emilie is from Buffalo, New York, and she chose to attend John Carroll because she loves the campus and enjoys the atmosphere and the sense of community. “I love the opportunity to explore a multitude of service options and academic disciplines through a Jesuit education,” said Emilie. “I truly love Carroll, and there is no place I would rather be.”
What organizations are you involved in and do you have any positions that you are proud of?
I am an Arrupe Scholar and am in the Honors Program. I also participate in JCU’s chapter of STAND, which works to end genocide, and I recently became involved in Respect for Life. I am highly invested in Students for Social Justice, as a member of the Human Trafficking Committee and serving on the Executive Board as Secretary. I am particularly proud of my involvement in SSJ because it is the largest student organization on campus and does so much incredible work to help others.
What do you like about the Arrupe Scholars Program?
The Arrupe Scholars Program has helped me grow immensely as a person just in the short time that I’ve been at JCU. I love learning about social justice issues that plague the world today, discussing solutions, and taking action with my peers. Most of all, the friendships that I have made with the motivated, intelligent, enthusiastic, and encouraging students of Arrupe are precious to me.
Can you describe your experience with service and mention any service projects you were recently involved in?
At Carroll, there are so many opportunities for service. In the first semester alone, I did weekly service with the elderly at Eliza Bryant Village, helped the Fatima Family Center through the 5k and the food drive, worked at a gala for victims of human trafficking, and was a buddy at Through the Eyes of a Child. The most important thing about any sort of service is building relationships with people and learning from one another. I recently had the opportunity to go to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. with some other JCU students and was a part of my first activist rally. I’m looking forward to many more opportunities to promote change this semester as I volunteer at Fatima Preschool and work with the Human Trafficking Committee. Don’t ever be afraid to open your mind and heart and stand up for your beliefs!