Three C's guide students
By Kaveri Gyanendra
I remember as a senior in high school having the words competence, compassion and conscience thrown at me as I toured the Santa Clara campus. I recognized them as the three key words by which the Santa Clara Broncos were guided, but I never fully appreciated the terms until recently.
Upon returning from spring break, the common conversation has revolved around what we all did for our well-deserved week off.While some relaxed and laid out at the beach, many students stepped out of their comfort zone and participated in the various immersion trips offered by Santa Clara.
More than 35 students traveled to Panama through the Global Medical Brigades program, where they involved themselves in helping the less fortunate with medical issues. Over a period of three and a half days, the group saw over 1,000 patients, some who hadn't seen medical help for over ten years. While in the lush green jungle of Panama, they stayed in a school building, slept on air mattresses and in sleeping bags and bathed in the river. Similarly, a smaller group of 12 students traveled to a Navajo area in Arizona where they helped assist teachers to teach English to children.
Along with these two trips the immersion trip in San Jose was less focused on service and more centered around exposure. Students stayed in San Jose and lead the lives of homeless individuals as they spent time on the street, seeing what it was like to beg for money.
As I heard various stories from these immersion trips, I was blown away at the courage these students had to leave their comfort bubble and step into a separate part of life that they may have never been exposed to otherwise.
Students' individual consciences and competence were the underlying factors in recognizing that while they may be fortunate, there are others out there that are less privileged and would be grateful for the help they can get. While one may be excellent at biology and know everything from the textbook, it is the competence to excel in various fields and have the skills to apply the knowledge to real life situations that Santa Clara feels is the important factor. Conscience drives the knowledge and competence to carry out the skills to positively affect surrounding individuals.
The compassion the students had within them served as the motivator to give up a week of potential relaxation to contribute and help the less fortunate in the world in the way they can. While we sometimes get caught up in the regiment of life, Santa Clara's emphasis on conscience, compassion and competence should be remembered, as at the end of our journey at Santa Clara, the connection of these three factors will carry each Bronco a few steps past other individuals.