“I have always loved the idea that ‘Fe y Alegría begins where the asphalt ends’ but now I have had the opportunity to go there and it makes even more sense to me. I got off the bus and, guess what? There was no asphalt there. But there was the most loving, inspiring school, fostering a learning environment that was allowing all of its students to come into their own.”
Like many of us, Suzanne first got to know the Jesuits through education. Her sons attended a Jesuit high school and she quickly became interested in Ignatian spirituality, earning a certificate in Ignatian spirituality from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and a certificate in servant leadership from Cornell University. This passion for the Jesuits and her background as a lawyer eventually lead Suzanne to work for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States (JCCU) as Special Counsel and Director of Operations, and to serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors for American Jesuits International.
However, her recent trip to Ecuador impacted Suzanne in a new way, deepening her understanding of the mission and work of Fe y Alegría. “I’m a reader. Sometimes, when you read a book, you get the story,” Suzanne explained, “but if you have a narrator that is able to be more descriptive and add depth or detail as they tell the story, you, as a reader or a listener, get even more out of it. The story becomes more real and sort of really embraces you.” Even though Suzanne is well versed in Ignatian spirituality, Jesuit education, and the work of Fe y Alegría, this trip to Ecuador gave her the opportunity to experience things in a new and enlightening way.
Suzanne and Nate Radomski, executive director of American Jesuits International, attended the Fe y Alegría’s XLIX International Congress in Quito, Ecuador. The two day conference focused on “Challenges and Opportunities for Fe y Alegría’s Popular Education” and included delegates from the 22 countries that make up the International Federation of Fe y Alegría. Together the delegates and other participants created a space to present new pedagogical practices that ensure the right to learning for vulnerable populations and to discuss the need to develop proposals which inspire the future of education on the margins.
The presentations and conversations were inspiring for Suzanne, but what brought the whole experience together was the opportunity to visit two Fe y Alegría schools–Unidad Educativa Emaus Fe y Alegría and Unidad Educativa José María Vélaz. “One can listen to a meeting, participate in a dialogue or look at mission statements of Fe y Alegría, but then when you actually see it unfolding in front of you … it was so transforming … the teachers and administrators take all of those ideas and promises to heart and they’re so committed to this work.”
At the Unidad Educativa José María Vélaz, the group was able to witness how Fe y Alegría is caring for children with special needs. This school, and others like it, bring family into the learning process. Suzanne shared her experience saying, “You have a mother with her special needs child working in a classroom with a teacher. Perhaps there is some stigma attached to having a child with a disability or she feels ashamed that she has a child like this. But the school gives them both a place to learn and feel welcome, to understand that this is a child of God. It really could have brought me to tears because you see how the whole community shares the mission. They work with the student, but also the family and the society.”
That sense of community reverberated throughout Suzanne´s visit. “The connection between the student, family, and educational community network came across very clearly,” she remembered. “They’re intentional about how they do things and the ‘value added’ that comes from this community. When you see in action, those points that they talk about theoretically in the Congress really take shape.”
Even after years learning from and working with the Jesuits, serving in so many important roles within the JCCU and supporting American Jesuits International as Board Chair, this trip to Ecuador has impacted Suzanne. For a self described “reader,” it is clear that the story of Fe y Alegría has jumped off the page during these site visits. “Sometimes when you see it in front of your own eyes, it takes on a different approach and you feel it in your heart. You don’t just intellectually feel it,” Suzanne shared. “That concept really ties into Ignatian spirituality as well. We can’t be in our head all the time. We gotta be in our heart. That experience really unfolded for me on this trip.”
Upon her return to the U.S., Suzanne remains transformed and inspired by her experience. She shared that she is looking forward to accompanying other members of the Board on similar trips so that they too can experience first hand the projects our organization is supporting with fantastic partners like Fe y Alegría. “This is why we should be proud to be on this board,” Suzanne explained. “We get to support this good work that they do alongside organizations like Fe y Alegría.”
