DAVE: It was before the whole Madonna
thing!
(laughter)
DAVE: I was interested in HIV/AIDS and
global health. Malawi is one of the most
impoverished countries in the world and
has an incredibly high rate of HIV/AIDS.
There was a program there that wasn’t just
about treating the illness, but educating
people about it, which is what I wanted.
FR. PETER: Several more of you have had
international experiences during your time
here. I’d love to hear more about them.
WILL: I studied abroad for a summer in
Greece.
FR. PETER: And Tanya, you’re from India.
TANYA: Yes, I am abroad!
(laughter)
TAN YA: The law school offers the opportunity
to do a year abroad. It’s also very popular to
do a summer in Rome.
KELLY: Through the internship Dean
Fitzpatrick helped me get in Geneva and the
conference I attended with her in South
Africa, I’ve networked all over the world—
and I haven’t even graduated yet.
ABBY: I just went to Kenya with a Villanova
School of Business club, Business without
Borders. I spent two weeks there with people
who couldn’t speak English, yet I cried when
I left. It’s an emotional connection and level
of human understanding that goes beyond
just talking. I also studied abroad in Paris.
Those experiences have shown me I can
make a life for myself almost anywhere.
Also while I was in Kenya, someone asked
to marry me. He offered 100 cows as my
dowry. I said I had to go home.
(laughter)
FR. PETER: Our alumni—who are in 50
different states and 30 foreign countries—
are the embodiment of Villanova and its
mission. I spend a lot of time with them, and
I can see the impact they’re having on the
world. Why do you feel it’s so important to
stay involved here after you graduate?
AMEER: I received a scholarship to come
here, for which I’m very grateful. The
different resources Villanova offers, like the
Center for Multicultural Affairs, have played
a huge role in my four years here. Without
people giving me so much, I wouldn’t be
here. I think it’s very important for me to give
back to them, and to a place like Villanova
that has given me so much.
DAVE: Villanova isn’t just for four years. I
think everybody knows that. Everything
we’ve been talking about with Villanova and
why we love it so much is only possible if
we keep the tradition alive. I realized there’s
no alumni association in my hometown of
Buffalo, so I plan to start one.
WILL: We’re rooted in the teachings of
St. Augustine. Basically, if you want to boil it
down, he said, “Everybody loves everybody.
Be a community. Come together.” Isn’t that
something you want to be a part of all
your life?
FR. PETER: As we’re coming to the end of
our conversation, I want to say how much
I appreciate your time today, and I really
thank you for sharing your particular
Villanova story. Is there anything you
wanted to say and didn’t get a chance to?
Do you have any final questions for me?
KELLY: I do, Father Peter. If I were a 17-year-old
looking at colleges, what would you say to
me to convince me to come to your school?
FR. PETER: I’d say, “You need to meet our
students.” It’s students like you—people
like you, who have come before you and will
come after you—who really work to create
this community and embody it in everything
they say and do—during their years on
campus and for the rest of their lives.
