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| Vanessa Napoli photo by: me, Katrina Marie |
Vanessa Napoli
Class Year:
Class of 2012
Major(s) / Minor(s):
Physics
Current on-campus activities:
Renew leader, Physics Club, Live Out Love Formation Leader
Past on-campus activities:
House minister, little sisters of the poor volunteer
Past off-campus activities:
Working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Where is God present in your everyday life?:
God is present in this [CUA] community. The witness of Christ on campus is so powerful that sometimes I am still in awe. The people I have met and my interactions with them everyday remind me of His love and grace.
How do you take time to notice God's presence in your life?:
God is found through prayer and with so many chapels, masses and opportunities for communal worship, God is found everywhere!
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?:
It was my House ministers and other older students that I looked up to that initially got my involved in the faith life on campus. Their presence and joy was so strong that I wanted to be like them because I saw that they were happy.
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?:
An encounter requires an invitation; whether that is an invitation to mass, to prayer, or to a conversation. Our role is not to give encounters of Christ to others but to let Christ work through us so he can personally encounter each person. “We must decrease, so He may increase” so I try to let Christ work in me, through me and all around me so he can reach His children.
As a young adult in the Catholic Church what challenges have you come across? How have you overcome them?:
There are many controversial issues being discussed currently, both political and moral. It is a challenge to discern what is true and then to stand by it, even if it is not a view that is as socially accepted. But truth is truth and must be proclaimed at all times.
How often do you truly look in and examine your inner self?
I try to do this often as it is only through self-examination that we can learn and grow and become more the person who God made us to be.
Did you attend private or public school prior to college? (If private, Catholic school?):
Public
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 enjoyed public school because there was so much diversity and I heard a lot of different perspectives on issues. The disadvantage was my faith was tested and it definitely wavered because it was so easy to not stand firm in something that not too many others believed in.
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 came to CUA because my siblings came here and I couldn’t be happier I made that choice. CUA has helped me discover who I am because of the vibrant community of living faith. This university has been such a positive experience for me but I could see how it would be hard to integrate into this campus if you were not Catholic. We should all work more so that everyone can find a home at CUA.
