Baccalaureate Mass: A Conversation with God...

Graduation week has come and gone. After four long years, I am officially done with my Rockhurst undergraduate career and I have walked across the stage to receive my prize--a piece of paper. JUST KIDDING!

It is obviously more than a degree that I am graduating with, but also a Jesuit education. On Thursday at Baccalaureate Mass, Fr. Curran was able to highlight one of those benefits during his sermon.

When he spoke to some students about the singers to perform at this year's Spring Rockfest concert, he discovered that country songs often describe the lives of Rockhurst students. Although it was a joke, he offered one song called: "If I could have a beer with Jesus..." by Thomas Rhett as a reminder for us to keep close to our faith even after leaving.

As graduates of Rockhurst, we have to reflect on our lives, not just as professionals, but also as responsible children of God. Fr. Curran also made it a point to remind us that prayer can take many forms. Perhaps we like to pray the rosary, but prayer can be as simple as a conversation with God.

As a gift, each of us received one of the coasters pictured below:

We promised to keep it in a place where we would see it frequently, and that whether or not that drink was alcoholic, he hoped that we would be able to have these conversations frequently.

The Mass ended with one of Fr. Curran's "true stories" and we walked across back to campus to enjoy a small reception with our families. Below are a few pictures from the reception:

 Hawks walking back to campus. 

Cathy Phillips (my first college roommate) and I. 

Lorie Castilleja and I.

Yummy dessert kabobs. 

Fresh fruit kabobs.

Paloma Carmona, Lais Carvalhinho, & Hero Balani by the Bell Tower. 

Hero Balani, a student from Belize, waving his country's flag.  

Hero posing for his sister.

Afterwards, the SOL seniors that could make it, headed over to the SOL room to carry on a tradition that has been alive for many years--the addition of our hands to the SOL alumni wall. Here are a few pictures from the actual event:

And to wrap up, we celebrated with cake. How could we resist doing the tradition Mexican cake bite?

I know...we are just too cute. 

With that picture and a promise to carry on as a strong Latina Hawk, I would like to say my farewell. Thank you to Rockhurst University for allowing me the opportunity to share my thoughts and life as a Hispanic student. I have many great memories as a Hawk and I really think that the challenges I have faced throughout these years has helped shape me as an open-minded and confident person. 

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope that you too will have a meaningful and unique college career. 

Hasta luego!

--Jackie