President Tina Holland was the guest speaker for the Cristo Rey Class of 2021 Ring Ceremony on September 24 at St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church.
Holland said that she was happy to be asked to speak for the occasion. "I was actually filling in for the original speaker who could not be there. It turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to participate in the life of the school."
Holland hoped that the one thing the students took away from her speech was that true beauty and goodness shines from within each one of them. "It takes a conscious effort to do the kinds of things that bring success, happiness and fulfillment; things that make them shine."
When asked what advice she would give to students who are making future life choices, she said that students should take advantage of all opportunities inside and outside the classroom to explore all options and then discern how they think God might be calling them.
"Do as well as you can in all of your subject areas and in all of your opportunities for personal and professional growth, and development," she continued. "Ask yourself three key questions: What is most interesting, intriguing, exciting to you? In other words, what is it that you are passionate about?; Where do your talents, abilities and aptitude point? In other words, what are your good at?; and what does society need? The area of overlap among those three questions typically contains the best answers to your career questions."
FranU and Cristo Rey represent the educational arm of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady sisters' ministries, which include education and healthcare. The FMOL sisters are the sponsoring congregation for both the University and the high school.