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| Andrew Finley photo by: me, Katrina Marie |
Andrew Finley
Class Year:
Class of 2012
Major(s) / Minor(s):
Philosophy Prelaw / Psychology
Current on-campus activities:
Student Ministry, Campus Ministry, Esto Vir
Past on-campus activities:
Intramural sports, Rugby, Retreats, Chastity Outreach, CUA Service
Where is God present in your everyday life?:
God is present within all of the people I interact with throughout the day. He is present in each of my experiences, whether they are good or bad. Also, I always feel as though God is present within my heart and mind. I often feel as though God and I are always conversing with each other, even though I may not always be paying attention to what he is saying.
How do you take time to notice God's presence in your life?:
I try as much as I can to take time to sit and reflect on the passed day, or meditate/contemplate about God and let him speak to me. I want to always be sure to thank God for the gift that each day is.
In regards to current and past, on and off campus activities, what initially moved you to get involved? What were the feelings that moved you to serve in the way you have and do?:
I think that my desire to be around people initially got me involved. And whether it is sports or service that I am involved in I enjoy pushing myself to get stronger physically or work harder at making our community a little better for the people in it. God gave me gifts and I wish to use these gifts in these ways.
As baptized Catholics, when we serve others we have the opportunity to grow in our faith and extend (and express) agape. By "being" love we are moving beyond ourselves and honoring the dignity of all human beings. What ways have you invited others to encounter Christ?:
Inviting people to mass has been one way in which I have tried to help others encounter Christ, since he is fully present there. Another way, and sometimes a more relatable way for most people is challenging people to get involved in service by taking a service trip or doing outreach within our community at CUA and in DC.
As a young adult in the Catholic Church what challenges have you come across? How have you overcome them?:
Popular culture is definitely a challenge. It feeds us a message contrary to that of our faith at times and it is difficult to deal with these conflicting messages. It is also difficult because many people are searching for something or reaching for something meaningful, but they reject what is already there within our faith, or overlook it and think that someone else has a better idea. I often feel like the world has forgotten about God or has decided that he just doesn’t matter right now and that they are going to live their life the way they want because they know what is best for them. I deal with all of this by praying. It is the only way I guess that I will ever be able to overcome it all.
How often do you truly look in and examine your inner self?:
As I said earlier, I try to do it every day or even several times a day. It is hard because of the business of my life, but I can usually find a few minutes every day to look into myself.
Did you attend private or public school prior to college? (If private, Catholic school?) What advantages do you see with a private (secular or religious) education? What disadvantages? What advantages do you see with public education? What disadvantages? [Can you expand on your own personal experience]:
I have gone to Catholic School my entire life, except for kindergarten, but that barely counts. I definitely think that the education I received was better than the education that some of my friends received at a public school. I can remember friends of mine in high school who were at least a year behind in some subjects and did not understand as much about some topics as I did. Part of that I think is because catholic schools are generally smaller and the teachers are able to work one on one with more students. I also think that greater emphasis is put on the education of the student on the whole from parents, teachers, and administrators. Something has been invested in the child. I also found it beneficial to have religion classes. They were helpful in the formation of my individual spirituality and my feelings of giving to the community and treating each person with dignity and humanity.
Why did you choose to attend a private non-secular institution for your higher education? What are the advantages and disadvantages with attending a university like CUA versus a secular private or public institution?:
I chose to attend CUA because when I visited here as a senior in High school I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I visited CUA and suddenly felt this strong attraction to this place. I felt a strong sense of peace and hope, hope that this would be the place where I would be able to become the person I wanted to be because this is a university that not only focuses heavily on the quality of work that students do and their academic achievements, but also their personal achievements and the quality of person that they become.
