A group of Siena students took part in a transformative service trip to Nicaragua with the help of Joe Connelly '06 this spring.
The genesis for the trip began years ago, when Connelly was a child growing up surrounded by the Franciscans who served in the parish of St. Mary's in his hometown of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. Fr. Sean O'Brien, who is currently serving as associate director of Siena's Franciscan Center, became a mentor for Connelly and the connection with the friars led him to Siena.
Connelly, who was a religious studies major, says his Siena experience was defined by a study tour organized by Vera Eccarius-Kelly, professor of political science.
"My sophomore year, Dr. Eccarius-Kelly ran a trip to Guatemala to study human rights. This was my first time travelling to Latin America and my first time going to the so called 'third world.' It was transformational; it totally changed my life and my focus," said Connelly.
He became dedicated to working with the poor and marginalized and has been serving in Nicaragua since graduating from Siena in 2006. This Spring, he provided the kind of eye-opening experience he once had to a new generation of Siena students.
Led by his mentor Fr. Sean, the 10 Siena students spent time serving at a Nicaraguan school.
"These kids just wanted to be loved and held, they didn't want money or games, they just wanted to be loved. This is why this was an amazing experience because the love you feel from a child you only knew for 3 days is unlike any other experience. It is something that will never go away," said Sam Urbino '18. "When I returned from my trip I knew that I needed to change something in my life."
Urbino was inspired to change her major to social work with plans to someday help children like the ones she met in Nicaragua.
Connelly was moved by the passion and openness that he saw in the Siena students, and hopes that this trip was just the beginning of a relationship between the Siena community and the people of Nicaragua.
"I think that these kinds of trips are really important because they take students out of their comfort zones and out of their heads. It forces them to ask big questions about the world, their belief systems, and their values. I think that experiences like this are what make a Siena and Franciscan education so unique and so special," he said.
