Benjamin Franklin has a great thought regarding education. He speaks of a man who was so learned that he could name a horse in nine languages – and so ignorant that he bought a cow to ride on. It’s a caution all of us in “higher education” should remember from time to time. The antidote for that kind of thinking is found right here at Sacred Heart. Dozens of our students begin their college experience not in the classroom or the lab or on the playing field. They kick-start their years of advanced learning by living for a short while in the city of Bridgeport. There, they encounter the struggles and the joys of ordinary people working to raise a family, earn a living, and plan for a better life. As volunteers with Community Connections – typically the incubator to some of the University’s best and most committed students – a select group of freshmen and the upper-class mentors who serve as advisors immerse themselves in a kind of educational process that can’t ever be duplicated in a library or on a computer. These lucky young people walk through a doorway toward independence and full adulthood by sitting on the floor with children as they read aloud in schools. Sometimes for the first time in their lives, they will put on an apron and cook and clean up for others. They will tear down barriers as they put up walls for new homes. And they will share the stories of their lives and their brightest hopes with others in the same boat, and find among their peers friends for a lifetime. This year, we had over 80 applications, while looking for only 40. The final number will be close to 46-48, with 14 instead of 12 upper-class student leaders. What a great way to start a lifetime of learning and service.
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