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Serving Others is Second Nature for Rose Hill Student
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Patricia Perez will work with Americorps in the Bronx after graduation.
Photo by Ken Levinson
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By Gina Vergel
Patricia Perez’ friends were shocked when they learned of her two-hour daily commute from Brownsville, Brooklyn to the Bronx. But when Perez recalls their reactions, she shakes her head in bewilderment.
“I don’t see what is so bad about it,” said Perez, 22, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill. “It is what it is.”
That is Perez in a nutshell: a selfless individual; a true follower of the Jesuit philosophy of homines pro aliis—men and women for others.
While a two-hour commute to school might not impress everyone, this might: Perez often trekked to the Bronx on days when she didn’t have classes, to volunteer with the local National Student Partnerships (NSP) office. NSP is a year-round, student-led service organization that links people in need with resources and opportunities to help them become self-sufficient.
Volunteers with NSP log between four and seven hours per week. It is not uncommon for Perez, however, to donate more than 10 hours each week. In fact, her dedication to community service earned her the national organization’s 2008 Volunteer of the Year Award this past February.
According to a statement released in March by NSP, Perez held more than 552 client meetings to help homeless and low-income residents access crucial social services during her tenure with the organization, in which she has served as a volunteer, local director and summer director.
“Patricia works tirelessly to help involve the University and other Fordham students in the Bronx community,” according to the statement. “At a client appreciation meeting in October, many of the NSP-Bronx clients expressed an overwhelming gratitude for Patricia’s work in helping them find jobs, fill out taxes and access other services.”
So why does she do it?
“The Bronx is a community I didn’t know,” Perez said. “I started volunteering with Fordham’s Urban Plunge as a freshman because I figured it would help get me into the community. Ever since then, I’ve enjoyed doing it.”
Fortunately for local residents, Perez’ commitment to helping others won’t end with graduation. She has accepted a job with Americorps in which she’ll serve as site coordinator for the NSP-Bronx office. Though she will receive only a small living stipend, it’s serving others—not getting rich—that motivates her.
“Fairly early on in my college career, I thought about going into publishing,” she said, “but I’ve learned that things are good when you’re passionate about them, and I’m passionate about this.”
It’s an attitude that Perez credits to her upbringing in Brooklyn and the Jesuit education she received at Fordham.
“To (Fordham students), helping others is not even a question,” Perez said. “Homines pro aliis is a credo that is taken very seriously.”
As for her five-year plan, Perez has her sights set on law school. And, not surprisingly, it’s not corporate or personal injury law that she wants to practice.
“I’ll be pursuing a juris doctorate in public policy,” Perez said. “This way I can help shape policies that help those who need it the most.” |
More Faces in the Class of 2008:
Return to Class of 2008 index
Return to Inside Fordham home page
Copyright © 2008, Fordham University.
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