Named after Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Arrupe Ambassadors is a new leadership opportunity with curriculum inspired by Arrupe’s legacy.
The program is hosted by the Office of Engagement and Inclusion and will take place during the spring 2022 semester for sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in reflecting on post-graduation purpose.
“The Arrupe Ambassadors program was created as a part of the revitalized leadership programming out of the Office of Engagement and Inclusion,” Jess Burkart, coordinator for campus programs in the Office of Engagement and Inclusion, said.
The Office of Engagement and Inclusion works to create programs, such as Arrupe Ambassadors, for students that provide supplemental resources to support student development and growth.
“Programs like Arrupe Ambassadors are important because not only do they make leadership opportunities accessible to students, but they create a space on campus for positive growth and learning with your peers,” Micah Pierce Coleman, an Arrupe Ambassador and a senior in the College of Communication, said.
Cardoner Scholars is a cohort-based experience hosted by the Office of Engagement and Inclusion for first-year students and sophomores who want to deepen their leadership skills and elevate their transformative Marquette education.
“Cardoner Scholars was the beginning of the curricular shift, and Arrupe Ambassadors was the next step,” Burkart said.
During the fall 2020 semester, the Cardoner Scholars cohort spent six weeks learning about Ignatian values and pedagogy as well as their own strengths and identities as leaders. Students also reflected on social justice issues to create a personal mission statement that aimed to guide them on their leadership journeys at Marquette.
“After completing the Cardoner Scholars program for first-years and sophomores, I decided to join Arrupe Ambassadors as a junior in order to grow my leadership skills in new areas,” Coleman said. “I am looking forward to connecting with my peers in the cohort, learning about social justice and advocacy within the Marquette and Milwaukee communities and having a space to reflect on my vocation and post-college career.”
The Arrupe Ambassadors cohort for upper level students will specifically work to reflect on topics such as social justice, vocation and reflection by hosting guest speakers and collaboration from other offices on campus.
“I remember being in undergraduate and wanting to change the world but it all felt so big and there were so many things I still had to learn,” Anna Denucci, a graduate assistant for leadership programs in the Office of Engagement and Inclusion, said. “Dialogue on these topics and listening to campus partners who have had different journeys and purposes is imperative to make these really big ideas seem feasible to a college student as they reflect on how they can lead and make change.”
In line with the Division of Student Affairs leadership model students will participate in reflection to gain a better understanding of themselves and how various identities, goals, values and visions can connect to each other.
The model focuses on a balance between experience, reflection and action between yourself, the group and the community. It puts leadership in a context unique to Marquette’s mission of the search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of faith and the development of leadership expressed in service to others.
“It is easy to compartmentalize our lives, but I think when we bring our whole selves to whatever we do, we become more intentional and lead with purpose,” Denucci said.
Students who were selected to be an Arrupe Ambassador will take part in five bi-weekly workshops with the end goal of learning how to become leaders in their community and reflect on their self-purpose.
This story was written by Bailey Striepling. She can be reached at [email protected].