2008 Woodie Awards
Social issues provoke student involvement in El Salvador
Grayce Turnbach
Issue date: 9/29/06 Section: Features
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On June 19, 2006 Meghan Hurley, senior English and communication major, departed for her international internship in El Salvador with Catholic Relief Services.
"When I came to Cabrini I wanted to be a wedding planner," Hurley said. During her sophomore year she picked up a social justice minor "so I kind of did a big turn around."
Hurley got involved with the Wolfington Center and the community outreach programs.
"The deeper I got into it, the more I liked it," Hurley said. Her involvement with the Wolfington Center presented her with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In the fall of her junior year she was offered an international internship to El Salvador with CRS, who had just finalized a formal partnership with Cabrini.
"Who can say no to that?" Hurley said.
"When I arrived at the airport I just stood there. I didn't know where to go or what to do," Hurley said.
From there on out Hurley stayed in Santa Catarina Masahuat with a woman named Lorena and her three sons for eight weeks.
Throughout her stay, Hurley became involved with a "youth group" or jovenes in Spanish, of teens ages 15 to 23, which were formed by CRS in 2003.
CRS is the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community. According to the CRS website, their purpose is to assist the poor and disadvantaged, help alleviate human suffering and foster charity and justice throughout the world.
The purpose of the jovenes group was to organize the youth so that they would not turn to violence.
"Violence is one of the biggest problems there," Hurley said. "The government isn't really addressing the problems of the people, which makes it hard to get anything accomplished."
Hurley was also able to become involved with an AIDS program there which she described as a very moving experience. According to Hurley, AIDS patients in El Salvador are viewed as they were here in United States back in the 1980s.
"When I came to Cabrini I wanted to be a wedding planner," Hurley said. During her sophomore year she picked up a social justice minor "so I kind of did a big turn around."
Hurley got involved with the Wolfington Center and the community outreach programs.
"The deeper I got into it, the more I liked it," Hurley said. Her involvement with the Wolfington Center presented her with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In the fall of her junior year she was offered an international internship to El Salvador with CRS, who had just finalized a formal partnership with Cabrini.
"Who can say no to that?" Hurley said.
"When I arrived at the airport I just stood there. I didn't know where to go or what to do," Hurley said.
From there on out Hurley stayed in Santa Catarina Masahuat with a woman named Lorena and her three sons for eight weeks.
Throughout her stay, Hurley became involved with a "youth group" or jovenes in Spanish, of teens ages 15 to 23, which were formed by CRS in 2003.
CRS is the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community. According to the CRS website, their purpose is to assist the poor and disadvantaged, help alleviate human suffering and foster charity and justice throughout the world.
The purpose of the jovenes group was to organize the youth so that they would not turn to violence.
"Violence is one of the biggest problems there," Hurley said. "The government isn't really addressing the problems of the people, which makes it hard to get anything accomplished."
Hurley was also able to become involved with an AIDS program there which she described as a very moving experience. According to Hurley, AIDS patients in El Salvador are viewed as they were here in United States back in the 1980s.
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