Student Profile: Christopher Campbell '15

NAME Christopher Campbell '15

HOMETOWN Kingston, Jamaica

ACADEMICS Religious studies and political science double major, concentrating in Africana studies

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME Having grown up in Jamaica, Christopher’s first trip to the U.S. was when he arrived  in Worcester, Mass., during  the summer of 2011 for the College’s Odyssey program, a one-week program open on a voluntary basis to all first-year ALANA and international students as well as American students living abroad, first-generation college students, and students for whom English is their second language. “Upon arriving, I was amazed by the beautiful landscape, exquisite architecture, and the wonderful friends, staff and faculty I now call family,” says Chris. And in the months and years that followed, it was also the experiences  away from campus that made Holy Cross feel like home - seeing the city beyond the campus  through the Worcester Immersion Program, and traveling to El Salvador on an immersion trip, to California for the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference, and to Paris for a summer study abroad program. “Holy Cross  has so many opportunities and ways to learn more about the world around you,” says Chris. “The traveling I’ve done is something that I never imagined being possible, and Holy Cross made that  happen for me.”

INVESTMENT IN OTHERS At Holy Cross, Chris found many ways to become involved in cocurricular activities, meet new people and experience all that Holy Cross has to offer. “With my professors, it’s not just about attending and participating in class; it’s also about going to office hours, and the one-on-one time — they really want to know me as a person, and are invested in me,” says Chris. Whether it's participating in the Student Government Association—first as a class senator, then as director of diversity — working as an Orientation Leader, serving as co-chair of the Caribbean African Student Assemblage (CASA) or working as a resident assistant, Chris brings that same investment modeled by his professors to his relationship with classmates and other students.

CONTINUING CLASSROOM CONVERSATIONS “Mary Hobgood [associate professor of religious studies] encouraged our Faith and World Poverty class to meet in small groups outside of class, so that others can hear and join in the discussion. I was meeting with a group one afternoon over coffee in Cool Beans, and friends walking by would stop and say ‘What are you talking about? That sounds so interesting’ and they would sit down and start talking with us,” says Chris.  “I like that challenge, to engage in dialogue and have those courageous conversations, and I find myself bringing that same attitude to my activities beyond the classroom. I want to continue talking about the thoughts I have in my class on Catholicism and Latin America  with my residents, or with my fellow members of CASA.”