News Updates

A Reflection by JV Margaret Cowles

Published on April 28th, 2017 in Fair Share Housing Development

With a degree in neuroscience and psychology and almost 5 years of experience as an EMT, I thought I’d seen it all. But my job as a youth coordinator at the Education Center has introduced me to many new jobs, tasks and challenges that I feel very excited to tackle each day.

Working with such passionate, energetic kids has reinforced my desire to become a pediatric nurse and without ERLH, I would still be searching for this clarity of purpose. Fostering relationships with the kids, and teaching to the individual and not the mass, is the kind of innovative educating that makes Margaret Donnelly O’Connor Education Center such an incredible place.

Despite seeing almost 40 kids each day, we are able to provide one-on-one tutoring assistance for any K-12 child in our center. Having never considered teaching before, I am delighted that this position has opened my eyes to all the possibilities out there. I’ve taught everything: math, reading, sports, piano, filling out the FAFSA, career opportunities and even basic first aid! The Education Center fosters not only academic growth but personal, social and emotional growth as well through mentoring, group activities and emotional awareness and intelligence. Whether we’re cooking, studying or doing STEM experiments with the kids, I learn something new every day and I look forward to discovering more about myself as I enter into the second half of my year as a Jesuit Volunteer.