Reflections from Past Interns

Summer 2001

"Through my experience at The Center, my conception of ethics changed. I was able to see that ethics was not limited to abstract thought but could be applied in many real-life situations. Working with Sister Peggy educated me about the difficult decisions which many people are forced to make under very intense and stressful conditions."

"Working at The Center gave me the opportunity to focus on the challenges that many people face and yet so few truly understand. End-of-life care is a difficult topic in our society because of the premium we place on being active, healthy and productive. . . . I believe The Center is one of those invaluable resources available to people who are dealing with the frightening circumstances that attend our last days. Through education, all of us can be helped to understand that potential for growth exists during illness and the transitional period that encompasses death."

Summer, 2002

"This is the first year in which The Center made a concerted effort to address the advocacy portion of our work, giving the interns insight into justice issues surrounding our healthcare system . . . The internship included visits to State agencies and advocacy groups where the interns heard various sides of issues so they could understand how the inequalities in our healthcare system can be resolved. We spent an afternoon learning how the state of Illinois provides health insurance for under-served children through the KidCare program. We visited Dr. Quentin Young, Chairperson of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. We also visited Tom Ventura from the Gilead Project (a part of the United Power for Action and Justice) which is an agency that seeks to link the working poor with agencies that can help provide them with insurance."

"My experience at the Center for Ethics and Advocacy has given me new insight into a world that I thought I knew. My work has been a turning point for me that will continue to impact how I see my neighborhood and what role I want to play in it. This is my first step in my discernment of how God wants me to serve my community."

"From the field trips, to the office work and everything in between, my internship at the Center for Ethics and Advocacy in Healthcare proved to be an extremely interesting, and at the same time, educational experience. Both Sarah [Matos] and I walked away with a month of learning and interaction that we will not forget."