Open to Growth - Ms. Alessia Guise

A Loyola Student is Becoming More Open to Growth Alessia Guise, ‘16

I was excited to be asked to give a speech on this particular Grad-at-Grad dimension, because I think “Open to Growth” has the broadest definition and a lot of room for interpretation. In preparation for this speech, I asked some members of the Loyola community what being “Open to Growth” means to them. There was no clear consensus: some said being open-minded, some said being willing to step outside of their comfort zone, others said taking advantage of all Loyola has to offer, and some said broadening their world view. When I first heard the Grad at-Grad characteristics during a Loyola open house in eighth grade, my short-sided thirteen-year-old brain took being “Open to Growth” to mean accepting change well. It made sense at the time: starting a new school with brand new people meant that I had to accept a lot of change in my life, but throughout my last three and half years at Loyola, my definition of “Open to Growth” has matured and expanded as I have.

During spring break of my sophomore year, I went on Loyola’s trip to China. Not surprisingly, only a small number of students wanted to spend the vacation on two crowded fifteen-hour flights, cramped in economy class, and eating food that could only be defined as “questionable.” The trip was made up of five students: me and four boys.

I’ve gone to co-ed schools for my entire life, and knew these boys well prior to departure, so I wasn’t concerned about being the only girl. However, a problem arose when determining the room arrangements. Obviously, I couldn’t share a room with anyone from Loyola, and I don’t think Ms. Cerusi wanted me to bunk with her. Since we were such a small group, we traveled together with students from three other American schools; I was assigned to room with a girl from California. I wasn’t too worried about sharing a room with someone I had never met- I figured we wouldn’t spend too much time in the hotels, and even if we ended up hating each other, I would only have to deal with her for ten days and then never again.

The trip’s chaperone, Ms. Cerussi – for those of you who never met her, she was a math teacher here at Loyola who retired in 2014 – said she found my attitude towards this arrangement much more impressive than I thought anyone would. After a pre-departure

meeting, she pulled me aside and told me that she thought my willingness to travel so far from home, without any girls to relate to, just to room with a stranger made me “Open to Growth.” That hit me. I didn’t think I was being “Open to Growth.” At that point, I still believed “Open to Growth” meant accepting change well, but that’s when I realized: it also means being willing to step outside your comfort zone and being open to new experiences.

In the end, I was really happy with my room arrangement. My Californian roommate, Brook, and I got along well. I, being a night owl, would make sure her light was off and her phone was plugged in every night, and she, a morning bird, would wake me up in time for breakfast every day. At night we would surf the channels of the hotel TV trying to find anything in English to fall asleep to – which, in China, was a very limited, and often very disturbing collection, especially on the night when all we could find was a documentary on Roman torture devices, which perturbed us both so much, we slept with the lights on.

I believe most of us at Loyola become more “Open to Growth” as we progress through our four years here. Teenagers change so much during their high school years. I am not the same person as I was in my freshman year – I may still look the same, but my personality has matured with each new opportunity Loyola has presented me. Loyola gives us opportunities for growth everyday: whenever we are given an assignment that seems out of the ordinary or challenging, whenever the guidelines for a project are vague and we’re told to “think outside of the box,” whenever we try a new sport or club, whenever a teacher gives us critiques on our work – these are all opportunities for growth.

Earlier this month, Ms. Clarke organized a field trip for her World Religions class to visit a local mosque. We were all required to dress conservatively – the ladies in our class had to be covered up to the wrists and down to the ankles, and we had to wear headscarves or else we would not be allowed inside. This was the perfect example of an opportunity for growth: a theology class from a Catholic school was entering the house of worship of an unfamiliar religion, and was required to dress to the standards of their faith.

Though on paper, forcing non-Muslim women to wear hijabs may seem sexist, we had to be open to it in order truly live the experience. We were able to experience a culture very

different from our own, first-hand. Even though I disagreed with the imam’s views on gender, we were able to hear from a leader of a different religion, and were able to ask him any questions. We had an opportunity no one in the class had been given before, and it would not have been possible if we hadn’t been open to dressing according to their religious guidelines in the first place.

According to Ms. Cerussi, I was being “Open to Growth” and I didn’t even realize it. I think that’s something Loyola tries to impart on us: they want us not only to actively pursue the Grad at Grad characteristics, but to have living them out come naturally. The point is to have the Grad at Grad be a part of our daily life, perhaps even to have them so engrained in our routine, that we might not even notice when we are living one out.

So, after going through three and half years at Loyola, asking students what being Open to Growth means to them, and reflecting on my past experiences – I have come up with the most concise definition I could on what it means to be “Open to Growth:” striving to enrich yourself every chance you get.

Thank you