![格里塞尔达·马西亚斯08届校友]()
在她的推特简介中, Griselda Macias在08年写道, “人生最紧迫的问题是:你为别人做了什么??马西亚斯一直住在华盛顿特区.C. 在过去的11年中, 从威尼斯游戏大厅毕业后不久就搬到了那里, 她在那里学习传播学和政治学. She currently works as program director for New Futures, a local non-profit organization.
马西亚斯想和卡罗重新联系. 解析:选D.C., she had lost touch with people with whom she had strong connections in college, 今天很想了解卡罗. So, 三月初, Macias volunteered with a group of eight students on an Alternative Spring Break trip. 她在D见了那群人.C. 中央厨房，全国公认的社区厨房. 这群人花了一天的时间准备和打扫厨房, 接受捐赠食物, 然后制作食物，然后提供给社区的人们.
This trip was one of four trips in which Carroll students participated while engaging in volunteer opportunities throughout the United States during Spring Break week. 参与调查的50名学生和5名教职员顾问, 服务时数共达768小时.
Macias remarked on the inspiration she found in the students she visited and volunteered with: “It was amazing seeing all the wonderful Carroll students last week--they inspired me to keep giving back to Carroll and staying connected!”
She spoke with electronic communications assistant 劳伦Brandmeier ‘19 during a Q&她着重讲述了自己在华盛顿的经历.C. 和学生们在一起，也有机会和卡罗尔重新联系.
什么风把你吹到华盛顿来了.C.?
当我在卡罗的时候，我参与了很多威尼斯游戏大厅——学生会, LASO，我辅修政治学. 我记得当时我告诉我们的教务长. (Joanne) Passaro, “I have a fascination for higher education, supporting young people, and politics.她说:“你为什么不去D ?.C.?”
她把我介绍给她的一位同事, 谁在研究高等教育政策同时又在非营利组织工作, 我申请了一份实习工作，最终得到了这份工作. 多亏了她的关系，我才得到了那个实习机会.
你能描述一下你目前工作中的一天吗?
I am currently the program director for a non-profit organization that supports young people who are looking to get a short-term post-secondary degree. 我辅导的学生有很多. 我就像一个顾问. 我和他们一起工作，确保他们在项目中步入正轨, 询问他们是否需要支持, 看看我们能不能从他们的奖学金中多给些钱.
我管理着三位项目经理，他们也为学生提供建议. We’re always working together to find ways to keep supporting these students, 无论是吸引他们还是应对他们的挑战. Ultimately we want them to be successful in finding financial stability in their lives, so that they can break cycles of poverty and cycles of not having access to opportunities.
I like to say that my job is to connect the dots for everyone--to make sure we’re on the same page, 前进, 履行我们对学生的承诺, 我的团队得到了支持.
你工作中最喜欢的部分是什么?
在卡罗，我是迎新会的领导, 所以当我在大三和大四的时候，我能够指导即将到来的大一新生, and I loved the opportunity to guide and support and empower a young person and for me to be able to say, “我相信你，所以你也应该相信自己。.”
我觉得所有这些都转移到了我现在的工作上. 尽管我很喜欢管理项目和管理团队, 年轻人在哪里，我的心就在哪里. I love working with non-traditional students, meaning people who are between the ages of 20-29. 他们中的许多人要么选择了间隔年, 年轻的父母, 或者有很多其他大多数学生没有的挑战. I love being able to make an impact in a young person’s life and see them graduate and get that first job and start finding that stability for themselves or for their family.
That’s what gets me up every morning, because I see myself in many of them. 我知道要成为家里第一个毕业的人的压力, or the pressure of making sure you can be successful because you’re at a disadvantage, 作为一个有色人种或女性. Those things always remind me of my experience so I tell them, “If I can, you can.”
你在空闲时间喜欢做什么?
我很少有机会这样做，但我喜欢旅行，尤其是在美国.S. 我有很多机会沿着东海岸旅行. I love to be able to even take a small road trip to understand some of the dynamics of our country. 我喜欢做的另一件事是.C. 价值就是我们拥有的历史吗. 这里有太多的历史, and still so many things I haven’t seen even though I’ve been here for a little over 10 years. I like to take time to reflect on and understand the history of our country.
Some of the students on the ASB (Alternative Spring Break) trip might have been visiting D.C. 他们第一次. How exciting was it for you to share some of your passion for your home and to make that connection for them?
I was excited for them to visit because I don’t get to meet many Carroll connections in D.C.我已经很久没和卡罗联系了. 我已经走得太远了, and I haven’t been able to connect more beyond being really close to Dolores (Ocampo Brown, 校友活动高级总监). It was great to be able to tell them about my experience and about the city. 有趣的是，他们住的地方离我住的地方只有一个街区. 这完全是巧合.
我能够分享我在D生活的观点.C., and seeing how our country has shifted, what that looks like, and how that impacts communities. I shared a lot of my challenges and also a lot of the exciting things I’ve been able to do, 比如见到奥巴马总统.
It was great for them to see the fact that you can take risks and find success in other places. 这很有挑战性，但你从中积累了很多力量和韧性. I hope they see that their experience at Carroll will help them succeed wherever they go.
What encouraged or motivated you to sign up to volunteer with the Carroll students who were in D.C.?
我真的很想回报卡罗, 尤其是现在我觉得我的事业更稳定了. 我觉得这是我回馈卡罗的好方法. 让我向他们表达如果不是因为我在卡罗的经历, I’m not sure I would be here today was also something I wanted them to know--how valuable that experience was.
我也想向他们学习. 今天作为卡罗的学生是什么感觉? I wanted to know about some of the things I really care about like diversity, making sure we’re supporting students and helping them persist through their program. 不仅仅是有色人种的学生, 但是所有的学生, and making sure we’re providing opportunities for them to connect with people that they feel comfortable with or making sure they have enough support systems on campus.
你提到现在你觉得在D安定下来了.C. 你想要回报卡罗. 你认为这是为什么?
I think it’s because of everything that I was able to take away from Carroll. 我得说，我非常感谢卡罗大学的所有导师, everyone from Dolores--Dolores is one of my biggest mentors to this day--and great professors. These people made such an impact in my life in making sure I became the young professional I am today.
Carroll gave me a home where I was able to meet wonderful people and have wonderful experiences, 比如学生会, LASO, 和方向, 现在我仔细想了一下，然后说, “是的, 对今天的我有很大的影响.“我觉得我在卡罗尔找到了自我.
作为校友，我觉得回馈社会是我的责任, because I know there are a lot of young people who are in the same shoes I was a long time ago. 如果我能支持校友或学生想在D实习.C., I want to be a support system for them, because I didn’t have that coming to D.C. I want to be able to help the next group of students and alumni succeed as much as I have.
这个服务经历对你有什么启发?
It made me so nostalgic having them here, talking about how campus has transformed. 它以一种很好的方式唤起了很多回忆. 当你远在他乡时，很容易感到疏离, 所以让他们来看我让我觉得和卡罗更亲近了. 这是我回忆美好时光的好方法.
你还有什么要补充的吗?
我想感谢卡罗为他们所做的一切. I don’t think I’ve ever formally told any of the people there--my professors or Dolores (Ocampo Brown, senior director of alumni engagement)--how I will be grateful my whole life for what they did to support me on my journey, 包括前总统道格·哈斯德. 他们教会了我如何对社区产生影响, 他们帮助我成长为一名专业人士, 我所取得的一切成就都要感谢他们.