Ryan McCarty 11/13/13 Portfolio Members of the graduate selection committee, this paper is intended to highlight the growth

I have experienced during my pursuit of an Undergraduate Degree at Loras College. I will examine how Loras has shaped me as a student and as a person through experiential learning, a diverse learning environment, the 4 Loras dispositions, and through fostering an attitude of life long learning. When attaining a Loras College degree there is a strong emphasis on developing the student within the 4 dispositions of learning. I will be further examining 2 of these dispositions later in this paper. Another important element to a Loras education is experiencing a sense of interdisciplinary learning across different academic interests. This occurred for me when I was able to make a connection between a paper I wrote in a Breitbach Catholic Thinkers and Leaders class, which contrasted the beliefs of Karl Marx with my business background. Along with diverse learning, Loras believes that learning doesnt stop once you graduate, but continues throughout life. On my January term trip to Italy, I was able to tour the Vatican museums and while there, I was able to analysis and write about a piece of modern art. I will be using a journal I wrote about this piece of art and relate it to the importance of the continuation of learning after school. As a part of the Belief and Unbelief course I took my junior year, I was able to study the fathers of psychology, atheism, and communism. Karl Marx was a particularly interesting individual, whos radical yet revolutionary Communist Manifesto altered the way people looked at their government and the way that some people sought to live their lives. Marx had a difficult

upbringing and an even more difficult adult live. He lived in London during the industrial revolution and was forced to endure harsh factory conditions, while also having to suffer the death of 2 of his children, due to not having enough money to pay for their medicine. These tough times led Marx to create his own vision of what society should be within his writings. Not only did he think religion was a charade that people used for an escape, he envisioned a world where everyone was equal, with the same occupation, living conditions and basic necessities. To Marx this seemed like the perfect world, but it is understood from dissecting this theory and from certain countrys attempts at communism, that not only does it not work, it is extremely detrimental to everyone involved. Marx writes, Man is the supreme being for man. It ends with the categorical imperative to overthrow all those conditions in which man is an abased, enslaved, and abandoned. (pg 86) Marx believes that we are not only enslaved by private property and capitalism, but by societal super structures. These super structures are things like religion, politics, and art. In order to attain an equitable communist society, these super structures must be eliminated along with any thoughts of classes within society. Marx envisions a utopian society, where no poverty exists and where all have an equal share. Again this seems like a decent idea but what this world lacks is freedom, passion, expression, mystery and every other function the soul needs to survive. Marxs teachings and the world he envisioned is almost the exact opposite of the world I have come to understand through my time as a Business Management major. These contrasting ideas are a perfect example of my opportunities to experience interdisciplinary learning while at Loras. I have come to understand a great deal about business, including what it takes to be successful and what are ethical business practices in our world. America has a system of free market capitalism, which is quite different from what Marx was advocating. I truly believe that

our system of government and business structure lends more to the individual that communism ever will. Individuals are free to pursue their dreams and express themselves in every way possible. Americas economic system is structured in a way that anyone with a small amount of resources, a great idea and a strong work ethic, can succeed. The communist view on success is that it is unfair and true success would be if everyone was equal. This idea in essence would eliminate inequality, but instead of allowing some people to succeed while others dont, communism ensures everyone lives in an equal state of unhappiness. I believe that there is room for vast success in our market structure, which could lend its way to greed. From a strictly business mindset greed is fine as long as it leads to further accomplishments, but due to the wellrounded education I have received I can see the danger in greed. Rather than communism, which forcefully takes from the wealthy, I hope for a society where those who are blessed and have worked for their wealth, find the desire and calling to give to those less fortunate. There are not enough examples of this in our society, but it is a goal worth striving towards. As a business professional seeking to continue my education, I one day look forward to being able to pursue a career in a field that best serves my talents and passions, something that would be impossible in a communist society. Another key portion of a Loras education is the understanding that learning doesnt stop once you receive your diploma, it is a life-long process. I have had many different experiences at Loras that have opened my eyes to new forms of learning and that have made me enthusiastic about gaining knowledge in the future. One example of learning that has continued to benefit me occurred on my J-Term trip to Italy in 2013. During this time in Italy I was able to open myself to a whole new cultural realm and I began to realize how much there is to learn in the world. While touring the Vatican art museums, I had the opportunity to select a piece of modern art and

conduct an analysis of it in a journal format. An excerpt from the journal reads, Im going to focus on a specific piece of modern art called Resurrection by Emile Bernard. This piece is of a naked Christ who is standing outside the tomb. He is holding his burial cloth above his head and gazing up towards his father in heaven. Christ has a look of confliction between joy and agony, due to what I interpreted as happiness his suffering is over, but knowledge that it took place. Even though the artist shows Christ risen he still is wearing the crown of thorns. By looking at this painting, I was able to understand Christs suffering just a little bit better and I was always able to feel a sense of joy that Christ was able to triumph death. Through this experience I was forced to learn and understand more about art and apply what I had learned into a competent and cohesive journal. Not only was it a great experience that day, but examining art, trying wine and hearing a foreign language on a consistent basis made me excited about learning new and challenging things after my time at Loras. My plan immediately after graduation is to attend graduate school for an M.B.A or M.P.A. This plan ensures that I will be continuing my education in a college setting for at least a few more years. The challenge then becomes finding ways to grow in learning after I leave the structured setting of the education system. Loras Colleges mission statement is states that as a Catholic liberal arts college, creates a community of active learners, reflective thinkers, ethical decision-makers, and responsible contributors in diverse professional, social, and religious roles. The 4 dispositions of a welleducated Loras are a crucial part of a students time in school. The 2 I have chosen to focus on are active learning and ethical decision making. I have had the opportunity to study abroad on 2 separate occasions while at Loras, a semester in Ireland and a J-term in Italy. The experiences I had during this time has enhanced my educational experience and broadened my understanding

of what it means to be an active learner. As a member of the Breitbach Catholic Thinker and Leader program I have been exposed to a wide-variety of classes focused on Catholicism and the teachings of the church, which have helped shape me into an ethical decision maker. When examining the prompt for this project, some initial key ideas thought stuck out to me are experiential learning, incorporating greater opportunities, diversity of learning, a contribution to growth and competence and a connection back to the Loras dispositions and future goals. There are strong connections between the dispositions I am focusing on, ethical decisions making and active learning, and this prompt. My time abroad has greatly contributed to my understanding of experiential learning and what it means to encounter diverse learning styles. I was also able to experience a strong element of growth and maturity while abroad. The second disposition, ethical decision making, connects well with my experiences in the Breitbach program and the opportunities that have been afforded to me. First, when examining ethical decision-making I have chosen to revisit a paper I wrote in my The Displaced Person class freshman year entitled, What is Your Catholic Voice? This course allowed me to focus on 3 influential Catholic figures: Flannary OConnor, Dorothy Day, and Fulton Sheen, we also examined sacramentality, mediation and communion during this course. A key element of being an ethical decision maker, is becoming part of a communion of faith. The course The Displaced Person was taught as part of the Breitbach Catholic Thinkers and Leaders Program here at Loras. There are many elements to this Catholic scholarship program, one of the best being the community of students that is created. Through monthly meetings, classes and retreats, the Breitbach group has grown very close to one another. This closeness has created a communion of faith that encourages, reassures and guides one another through this portion of our lives.

Returning to the artifact that connects with ethical decision making, What is Your Catholic Voice? paper states, We must live out our own unique vocations and use our Catholic Voices in the distinctive way God wants us too. Each one of us is called to us our unique gifts in a way that betters our own faith and the faith of others. Just like God has called us to use our talents, he called the three people we studied this semester to use their gifts to change to world. Dorothy Day used her incredible compassion and unfaltering dedication to the individual to serve the poor for most of her life. Fulton Sheen used his incredible gift of communication to help convert countless people to Catholicism and to become one of the greatest fundraisers in the history of the Catholic Church. Flannery OConnor used her gift of writing to help educate her readers on what is right and wrong and she helped them grow in their faith. Through studying these 3 figures I have come to further understand the value of the Catholic Tradition and its importance in my life. I was also able to see profound examples of honesty, courage and consistency in the way they lived out their lives. These 3 values are a key part of being an ethical decision makers and after completing this course I feel that I can further improve the way I live out my own personal values. The final element of this disposition that relates to this paper is the knowledge of knowing when and how to be a leader. Through my many leadership experiences at Loras and through studying the leadership technics of OConnor, Day, and Sheen, I have come to better understand how to be an effective, compassionate and compelling leader in my future endeavors. Next, when considering active learning, the artifact that I will be focusing on will be my final paper for my City As Text class, entitled Irish Catholicism: Past, Present, and Future. This was a course I took while in Ireland and it focused on studying Dublin and Ireland as a while. There are many important elements when attempting to define an active learner and the

first portion of this is valuing opportunities to learn through diverse experiences. I was able to have an extremely diverse and cultural experience during my time abroad in Ireland. I was able travel to multiple different countries and experience many different cultures. As stated before, I was also able to take a J-term trip to Italy my junior year, which contributed to my cultural experiences while at Loras. Immersing myself in foreign cultures forced me to learn and adapt to new environments, which helped me grow as a person. While studying in Ireland I had the opportunity to take classes at IADT University in Dun Laoghaire and take 2 courses from Irish professors. This was a unique experience and I was exposed to new and diverse learning styles and enhanced my active learning. When looking at what describes an active learner, having a broad area of interest and testing and developing knowledge are 2 key areas that were present in my artifact on Irish Catholicism. First, my broad area of interest is what gave me the idea for this project. I was given the option to research and present on any main element of Irish culture and due to my faith background and my faith community at Loras, the decision to focus on the Catholic Church in Ireland was easy. The introduction from this paper is as follows, To say that the Catholic Church has been a major influence in Irish history would be a colossal understatement. The Church has shaped the Ireland we know today. Despite this long and respectable history the Church is near a state of crisis due to the spread of secularism and the scandals within the Church. The question then remains, where does the Church go from here? To help me answer this question I interviewed 3 different people. Dr. Andrew Auge, Professor of English and Irish Studies at Loras College, Dr. John Waldmeir, Associate Prof of Religious Studies at Loras College, and Father John McDonagh, St. Marys Star of the Sea Sandymount, Parish Priest. I intended to look at the positive and negative impact the Church has had in Ireland from a

historical standpoint, examine the current state of the Church, regarding numbers and attitudes and look ahead to what the future will hold for the Catholic Church in Ireland. During my time in Ireland, I was able to conduct a significant amount of ethnographic research and really immerse myself in learning about the culture. My ethnographic research included a wide array of photographs, videos and conversations with the Irish people. One of the major benefits from this research was my opportunity to interview Father John from our local Sandymount Parish. The interviews I conducted with Dr. Auge and Dr. Waldmeir for this project were very valuable and they had a lot of knowledge on the topic, but my interview with Father John gave me incredible insight into the Church in Ireland and provided my project with a new element of credibility. The other important element of active learning, is to test and develop knowledge. A key factor in my project was highlighting the Churchs role in the history of Ireland. The paper states, Undoubtedly, the Catholic Church has had an incredibly positive and influential role in Irish history and culture. The Churchs influence has consisted of great service and selfless contributions through the years. It has had a crucial role in many facets of Irish society. Without the Church, Ireland would not be nearly as developed as they are in healthcare and education and their political system would be far less established. This portion is meant to reinforce the fact that without the Catholic Church, Ireland would be nowhere near as well-off as it is today. The difficult part for me, as a Catholic, was accepting and presenting the mistakes the Church has made in Ireland in an objective light. The Catholic Churchs dominant and positive position in Irish society would be rocked to its core in the early 1990s with the exposer of the sexual abuse scandals within the Church over many decades. It is tough to overstate how badly these scandals hurt the Catholic Church in Ireland and its people. To most of the population, Catholicism was

their trusted rock and an extremely vital part of their lives. Once these crimes came to light many people felt betrayed and they werent sure where to turn. I presented the facts and stories I found even though it was difficult to accept the Churchs shortcomings. This is a direct example of testing what I had known previously, accepting the truth and in the end, becoming more knowledgeable about the topic, even if it was uncomfortable. Overall I hope I have effectively demonstrated to you how my Loras College Education has positively impacted my life and how it has shaped me into the person I am today. I will be forever indebted to Loras for the development I have experienced as a person, the friends I have made and for the incredible academic excellence I have been exposed to. Through opportunities of experiential learning, growth and maturity, a development of a new set of leadership skills and a greater understanding of my future goals, Loras has truly prepared me for the next step of my journey. I hope that this testimonial will aid you in the selection process, thank you for your consideration.