Faith enhances education
by Nathaniel Miller
Jason King, Ph.D., wants your degree to be more than just a representation of the education you receive at St. Mary’s University.
The Beirne Director of the Center for Catholic Studies, pulling from his experiences as a student, recalls how transformative his undergraduate studies were — allowing him to find himself and his life’s purpose.
He’ll admit that his campus experience was a few years ago, and much has changed since then, including tuition rates.
“I get those cost concerns, but in addressing those concerns, it seems like students and parents are narrowing down the value of college to just its financial outcomes,” he said.
By focusing only on the price tag, students risk missing out on finding a university that will help them grow personally and spiritually, in addition to helping them identify a vocation.
To show how religious-affiliated universities, like St. Mary’s, offer more than just an education, King partnered with market research group YouGov to see how graduates of Catholic institutions fare against their secular school counterparts.
Alumni polled for both Catholic-affiliated and secular schools varied across the spectrum regarding age, gender and political affiliation.
The results did not come as a surprise to King.
Those from Catholic universities reported a stronger sense of direction and increased fulfillment.
Comparatively, Catholic university graduates reported a 10% increase in their sense of direction, being 15% more likely to be fulfilled in their social life, 13% more community-involved, and 19% more likely to say morality was a factor in decision-making.
King hopes to conduct the study again, aiming to make St. Mary’s and its Center for Catholic Studies a premier research institution for Catholic-related issues and expanding the conversation of religious-affiliated education for parents and students.
“I want to raise these questions to others about the role of higher education in society,” King said. “The roles it plays in making our lives meaningful, making commitments in our communities and letting you know institutions like St. Mary’s are here to help you find a greater sense of purpose in your life.”
Education is about more than just earning potential, said Winston Erevelles, Ph.D., President of St. Mary’s University.
“Education should be about developing leaders, thinkers and citizens who value and contribute to their communities,” Erevelles said.
Family away from home
Esmeralda Lopez initially had no intention of straying far from her hometown of Allen when selecting a college. She could not stand being away from her family and friends. However, a presentation from a St. Mary’s alumna with a group called Latinas in Progress opened her eyes to the small, liberal arts Catholic University in San Antonio.
As the youngest of three children, the senior Psychology major soon found a second family on campus between the small class sizes and her participation with the Marianist Leadership Program (MLP) — a faith-based leadership and service organization focusing on community.
“I went to a big high school and said I cannot be overlooked in the next stage of my education,” Lopez said. “The last three years have been the opposite: I’ve seen the same people I started with as a freshman, and that’s been nice.”
Second to the five-hour distance between campus and her parents, a concern for the
first-generation student was cost. The scholarships offered by St. Mary’s have helped Lopez attend school.
A devout Catholic continuing to grow in her faith, Lopez is also an MLP member, where students must complete at least 15 hours of community service each semester. These contributions have inspired her to continue her charity work during holidays when she returns home.
Scheduled to graduate in December, Lopez has been applying for graduate school intending to earn a Ph.D., something she never thought possible before attending St. Mary’s.
“I’ve made wonderful memories, and I got the exact education I wanted since the start of freshman year,” she said. “I didn’t let any problems stop me from attending, and I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth.”
Finding one’s place
Pragyan K C (B.S. ’22) can’t tell you why, but he’s always wanted to go to Texas.
He also knew he wanted to attend a university with small class sizes. So, going down a rabbit hole of research, K C soon found himself enrolling at St. Mary’s.
Leaving home in Kathmandu, Nepal, he quickly found his place on campus through the President’s Ambassadors Program, becoming a resident adviser with Residence Life, serving as a tour guide and joining MLP.
“I got to see a lot of different perspectives,” K C said. “I got to see perspectives of students, faculty, parents and prospective students.”
St. Mary’s also taught K C that his degree in Computer Science was more than just algorithms and data. Classes in criminal justice, philosophy and theology helped him see how those fields impact his work.
The Catholic religion, he added, was never forced on students. A practicing Hindu, K C said the religious aspects he came across, along with the University’s mission of creating public servants, helped him grow in his own faith.
Now a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas at San Antonio, K C said it’s hard to compare the two universities at the undergraduate level but he sees the large number of students on campus compared to his more intimate experience at St. Mary’s.
Being lost in a sea of undergraduate students, he added, would not have made him the person he is today.
“You get a person who thinks about the community, who’s academically excellent and who can network,” K C said. “Doing all of that will make you a complete person who is not scared of getting out into the real world.”
