The Collegian

Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: News

As a student of the five year teaching program, Jessica Gray '08 spends a lot of time volunteering at Cambridge Elementary in Concord, as well as partaking in a number of other school and volunteer activities. She was nominated for this week's Lasallian Student Spotlight for exemplifying one of the Lasallian Core Principles: respect for all persons. In her active involvement with Campus Ministry and as a resident advisor, she shows "a lot of respect for herself and the Saint Mary's community,"said Brother Michael Sanderl.

She spent the last January Term at Cambridge Elementary. Gray helped Cambridge Elementary start a Gardening Club for first graders. She would go over to the school after class ended, write lesson plans for them, and teach the lesson for that day. An important quality in Gray is that she enjoys what she does for the kids. She's been involved with the education system for a long time, her mother is a teacher and Gray used to help out in her classroom over the summer when she was younger.

Gray is active in the field she's pursuing and is grateful for the "wide variety" of opportunities her program provides she said. While involving herself with career-related activities, she also contributes a great deal to Saint Mary's. She is the L&CS club secretary, a note taker for the Academic Support Center, a member of the chapel choir and Xalt, an employee for the School of Education, and a resident advisor in Ageno B.

With such a full schedule, how does she manage to do it all? Gray sees this as a good kind of busy. She is no stranger to work. In high school, Gray often helped out at the Monument Crisis Center in Concord, a facility which provides food for families in need.

Her willingness to help others is an admirable trait. It is something that she enjoys doing. "My perspective has changed since being here [at Saint Mary's]," said Gray. She feels that she can really help make a difference in the world with what she does. Gray is happy with the kinds of activities Saint Mary's has to offer; she said, "They try and give something to everyone, which is great. There's always something you can do, you just have to know where to look."

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