Setting the stage for Dr. Kimo Ah Yun’s inauguration as the 25th president of Marquette University, leaders from Milwaukee’s four Jesuit schools participated in an hourlong panel discussion, Jesuit Education in Milwaukee: An Inauguration Symposium, on Thursday, April 10, at Eckstein Hall.
The panel featured Dr. Kimo Ah Yun, president of Marquette University; Rev. Michael Marco, S.J., president of Marquette University High School; Vanessa Solis, president of Nativity Jesuit Academy; and Andrew Stith, president of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Marquette University’s Chief Marketing and Communication Officer Lynn Griffith moderated the discussion, which focused President Ah Yun’s inauguration theme: “Open your heart. Find your compass. Change the world.”
Marquette Today was there to capture highlights:
What is the impact of Jesuit education – specifically your school – on the city of Milwaukee?
Dr. Kimo Ah Yun:
“First and foremost is access. Marquette serves to be able to provide access to a quality education in the city of Milwaukee. I think about our Urban Scholars program where our donors are gracious enough to come alongside us and provide support to students who might not otherwise get a Marquette education. Second, is service to the community. Marquette is fortunate to be ranked number one for engagement in community service by The Princeton Review.”
Andrew Stith:
“Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Milwaukee started as a way to respond to some of the needs of the city. It opened in 2015 and is part of a national network of 40 schools. We are completely dedicated to serving young people with modest financial needs through a rigorous academic and corporate work-study program and spiritual development. I like to tell people that we help young people build social capital in this city.”
OPEN YOUR HEART
What are the benefits of a Jesuit education to prospective students and families?
Vanessa Solis:
“At Nativity we speak to parents in a very intimate way, by going to their home. We sit in their kitchen and living room and talk to them about what’s possible at Nativity. We explain our programs in great detail. We start by getting to know the families and students that we’re bringing into our school because we want to understand what their dreams are. Nativity is trying to put students at a totally different trajectory.”
Father Michael Marco:
“We lean into our Jesuit identity. If you ask people what Jesuits are known for, it’s not long before they say education. We talk about being Jesuit, and we are very faithful to that. We talk about things that make us unique including our academic rigor, but we understand that it’s more than just academics. When your son graduates in four years, he will excel in academics, but he’ll also understand his faith and why he believes it. Our students are loving young men who are open to growth.”
FIND YOUR COMPASS
What are you noticing about your students and learning from them?
Dr. Kimo Ah Yun:
“One thing that I’ve learned is that having a career in which students make a difference and feel good about their work, is greater than having a job that makes a lot of money with advancement opportunities. Students want to feel that they are making a difference, and they are not going to settle.”
Vanessa Solis:
“Our students remind me that when they see me as the president of the school, I’m hoping they see something in who I am as a Latino woman, and who I represent in the community as someone they can aspire to be. They have an immense amount of hope and resiliency. Another thing that I’ve learned from them is that they know they are loved at our school.”
CHANGE THE WORLD
What gives you hope for the future?
Father Michael Marco:
“Greeting the students in the morning and then again in the afternoon is the highlight of my day. Most days, you can see the joy and hope that they possess. They come to school and are happy to be there. They have great hope for their future and that inspires me. They know they can go out and make a difference in the world.”
Andrew Stith:
“The hope is in the people that come together to say this vision is worth it. That continues to inspire me. One parent told me that he had worked hard his whole life to provide a better future for his kids. He told me that he worked in construction and helped build the Opus College of Engineering and now his son will be getting a degree from that same college. That’s the hope that I have in the future.”
Inauguration ceremony
President Ah Yun’s inauguration ceremony will be held Tuesday, April 29, at 10 a.m. The event will be hosted in the Al McGuire Center and include a Mass and the inaugural ceremony. More information is available online.
Undergraduate lecture-based classes will be canceled for the morning of April 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., to allow students to participate in the celebration.
