Community service and Catholicism: the unique experience Emmanuel College provides

I recently met with Charlotte Ciampa, a senior at Emmanuel College in the Fenway area of Boston. I sat down to hear her perspectives as well as experiences of attending a Catholic college and the ways in which the views, rules, and expectations of the religion and schools run by it impact college life which has long been understood as a period of experimentation, rebellion, and freedom.

What was intended to be an in depth discussion about balancing the role of a Catholic college student in the self-discovery phase that college offers turned into a really interesting conversation about how community and service learning plays a much bigger role in her experience than religion ever has. You will hear Charlotte touch upon the ways she’s interacted briefly with catholicism during her time at Emmanuel, but more enthusiastically speak of how getting involved locally was is so much more important and fulfilling.