Alumni Spotlight

Christopher Tirrell '09

Over my four years at Stonehill, the support and guidance I received from wonderful faculty members, administrators and fellow students gave me the tools to lift up the human community at its most basic level, person by person.

Marty Kelly, former Campus Minister, taught me how selling a suitcase of Honduran coffee can bring relief to farmers undercut by greedy corporations. Peter Ubertaccio, Director of the Martin Institute, revealed how community activism and a critical mind can help a Nigerian village find civil stability, improved healthcare, and access to education. Susan Guarino, Sociology and Criminology Department Chair, has shown me how the command of the pen and an innovative research project can create better incarceration conditions for detained juveniles.

Alumni Sara Rayworth '08 and Danielle Baker '08 have demonstrated the comfort a soft shoulder provides to the elderly, the opportunity a helping hand gives a child in need of education, and the strength that a loving heart gives to those who have nothing else to keep them going. Classmate Brendan Carey '09 has shown me how a single voice that tirelessly demands justice can transform the international quality of life.

I have met many mentors throughout my Stonehill journey, and as my senior year concludes, I realize that soon our paths will diverge. Although I know that I will no longer be walking among my professors, faculty, and friends, I can still follow in their footsteps and be led by their example.

As I prepare to transition from "undergraduate student" to "active citizen," I know that law school, a curriculum in public service advocacy, and many opportunities to contribute to an improved human community lay ahead of me. I will always carry the tools that have been entrusted to me at Stonehill and the knowledge that allows me to utilize them to create a more just and compassionate world.

Chris is from Plymouth, MA. He has been accepted at Stanford Law School and will begin his studies there in fall 2009.

Photo credit: Che Edoga