Curran '11 Reflects on 'Extraordinary' Holy Cross Experience in Blog

In April, Colleen Curran ’11 was going through old photos when she realized she had enough to post weekly blog posts reminiscing about her four years at Holy Cross. So one month before commencement, she started taking a trip down memory lane — writing and posting photos about all facets of her college career from her first roommate to ballroom dancing to the many close friends she had made on The Hill.

The exercise also provided Curran, an English and self-designed medieval studies double major, an opportunity to reflect on her transformative college experience.

In a May 27 blog entry, she reflected on the person she has become: “I thought I knew what I wanted from my college experience, but my four years here have proved me otherwise. I didn’t understand why being an exclusively undergraduate campus was so important. I didn’t understand the full meaning and value of the liberal arts education. And, most importantly, I didn’t know what to expect from the Jesuit values and identity of this college. If I could, I would come back to Holy Cross for another four years, even if it meant being the only girl from Georgia in my grade and not knowing a single person for the first day of school. The late nights, the difficult classes, the insane reading lists — I’d do it all over again.”

Curran, who started blogging in September 2007 shortly after arriving on campus, continues to blog frequently on the College’s website, even though she has returned home to Alpharetta, Ga. In fact, she will continue blogging as she pursues a master of philosophy degree in medieval studies at Oxford University (where she studied abroad during her third-year at Holy Cross) starting this fall.

Read more excerpts from Curran’s blog:

“At what other college would the President and the Class Dean know nearly every detail of almost every student’s life? The community at Holy Cross is just such an extraordinary experience in and of itself.” . . . “The mission of the Jesuit education is to spread the talents that our professors, deans, faculty, and friends have helped us whittle for the past four years. It’s up to us to discover how we can be men and women for others using these talents, and the first step is to go beyond those gorgeous gates.” —June 9, 2011, “Reflections from a Holy Cross Grad”

“In addition to the Honors program, I think that the Magis Program is probably the best decision that I made at Holy Cross. One of the unique aspects of the program is that you’re assigned a chaplain — Paul Melley in my case — and you meet with the Chaplain at least once every other week (if you’re abroad like I was, then you e-mail. A lot). Your chaplain gets to witness your spiritual development, and he/she can guide you in certain directions. I always loved my meetings with Paul, whether I cried, laughed, or talked during them. What’s also great about the program is that the chaplains guide you for your life after Holy Cross — I thought that the program was only for those entertaining thoughts about JVC or AmeriCorps, but that’s not the case at all. Amongst the 11 graduating Magis Seniors, one is going to med school, another is going into medical research, several are going off to JVC or other service outlets, one is going to Turkey on a Fulbright, and I’m going to Oxford. It’s such a diverse group, and I’m not sure if I would’ve been friends with these people had it not been for the Magis program.” —June 1, 2011, “Did That Really Just Happen? Graduation Part 1”

“Over the past four years, I have been able to explore new ideas, challenge my old ways of thinking, find amazing friends that will last a lifetime, and, in the process of it all, discover my strengths and talents (and weaknesses too).” —May 10, 2011, “Trip Down Memory Lane: Installment #3”

Read more in Colleen’s blog.

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