How did you get involved with Marist?
I attended Roselle Catholic High School and had the opportunity to discover what it means to be Marist through their excellent Campus Ministry program. I grew in the Marist Spirituality through the Marist Encounter Christ Retreat. That weekend in Esopus opened my eyes to see God in my life and enabled me to grow closer to God. After my Encounter I wanted to turn my experience into action and be part of helping others to encounter God in the same way. I took every chance I had to be on an Encounter team.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
After my first experience of being a team member for an Encounter, I found out that not only was being on the team an opportunity for me to help others to encounter God, but also for me to continue to develop my own relationship with God. In fact, the overall reason I am still involved is because at every “encounter” with Marist Brothers, Marist youth, Marist young adults and Marist lay people (faculty members of Marist schools and other adults), I grow both in my faith and as a young person. There is something about being Marist that constantly challenges me to learn and to grow into a better young adult.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
I try to follow the example of quietly serving others with an extraordinary amount of love. I have been lucky to have many role models who have set that example.

How did you get involved with Marist?
I was chosen to go on Marist Youth and ever since then I have stayed involved.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
I stayed involved because of the great things I learned and felt while on Marist Youth. It was great to meet a lot of people from different areas who share the same ideas.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
I am in the Marist Young Adult Program and I help plan days for faith sharing in Miami.

Do you have a Marist story to share?
Right before going on Marist Youth I was going through a rough time and almost about to lose my faith. Marist Youth helped me get back on track and find my faith again. One of the talks especially hit home for me. It was like exactly what I was going through. Since then I knew I was going to be involved with Marist.

How did you get involved with Marist?
Mid September of my freshman year at Marist I attended our Freshmen Retreat in Esopus. During the retreat something just clicked. To this day I can’t put that feeling into words or express it. I turned to Brother Bob Warren and asked him how I can further get involved because I knew this was something that I loved and wanted to be a part of. The rest is history..

Why are you still involved with Marist?
Marist is such a large part of me; it is who I am. Being Marist has been one of the biggest influences on my life. If it wasn't for Marist I would not be who I am today. After all of the amazing experiences that I have had through this community, it is my goal to give those experiences back to others.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
Once "Marist'", always "Marist". Being Marist has shaped my identity in a number of ways and it is something that just doesn’t simply go away. I continue to live out my Marist identity by being a servant leader to others.

How did you get involved with Marist?
I attended Marist High School in Chicago. While I was there, I joined a ton of clubs and activities and got really involved. I wanted to do everything. I guess some of the teachers must have noticed and I was recommended for the Marist Youth trip to New York during my sophomore year. I was selected, went to the youth gathering, and loved it. Because our school is so far from most of the other Marist schools, we don’t really know or get to share the sense of our Marist family outside of our school. Along with fourteen friends we tried to bring that Marist spirit back to our school. Identifying with Marist and knowing that I was a part of such a big family gave me a completely different outlook and motivation for what I was doing. I wasn’t just wearing a jersey or school uniform or sweatshirt that said Marist. I was representing something more that couldn’t be put into words but had to be lived.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
I’m still involved with Marist because it is who I am. High school was the best four years of my life and I can’t imagine giving that up. I hope that, through my participation and leadership in the Marist Young Adult community, I can help others maintain their sense of Marist identity and, even more importantly, help others to find that feeling and sense of family. I don’t think you can quit family and I wouldn’t want to anyway.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
I don’t think that you can ever stop “being Marist” once you’ve realized what that is. I continue to live my Marist identity through my participation in the Marist Young Adult community. I also live my Marist identity when I practice my faith and serve others in the community. I still regard my high school as my second home and have gone back every vacation to visit and stay connected. Since I’m so far from the center of the Marist community, I try to be Marist in my daily life by reaching out to others and giving life everything I’ve got.

Do you have a Marist story to share?
During my senior year at Marist, we planned and put together a Marist Youth Mass. I think that was the best mass I have ever been to. Students were responsible for the entire service. Some students worked to make the decorations – we had a poster for each of the Marist schools in the U.S. with their crest on it, as well as a large painting of Marcellin Champagnat with some children. Students did all of the music – some played guitar, one played the piano, and several sang; we even had a Spanish class get a bunch of instruments and had the whole school singing “Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo,” just like we did on our retreat. Our readings, some from the bible and some from Marcellin’s writings, were all about the potential of us, the youth, and how to live and share our values. We had a final reflection about what it really means to be Marist and invited everyone to join and become more active members of the Marist family. I thought it was very motivational and inspiring and personified everything that Marist really is.

Anything else that you would like to include in the feature?
Always BE, LIVE, and SHARE MARIST!!! Have and make it a great day!

How did you get involved with Marist?
The first time I ever got involved with Marist was my sophomore year in 2005 when I attended the Marist Youth Conference at Marist College.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
I have been blessed with many extraordinary experiences with the brothers and the people I have met both on retreats and at other Marist events. These opportunities helped me to grow both spirituality and psychologically. I have come to find a deeper understanding of who I am and who I want to be. I have had such a great experience with the Marist community and it has definitely shaped me into who I am today.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
I try to live out the Marist quality of "Doing good quietly." I try to have a positive outlook on life and see the best in people. One vital component I have learned is to always look deep inside myself and reflect upon my choices, relationships, faith, and friendships, in order to grow as a person..

How did you get involved with Marist?
My first Marist experience was during my junior year of high school when I was invited to attend the Senior Marist Youth Encounter.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
Three days at a retreat house in upstate New York changed my life forever. It gave me a chance to look deep inside and realize who I am, what I wanted to do, and what I wanted to change. It helped to give me a second look at myself and my relationships with others and God. More importantly it helped me to grow. After that weekend I was hooked. I found any excuse to be up in Esopus with amazing people - even if it meant cleaning some dishes :) I wanted to help others feel the way I felt after I left an awesome experience.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
I try to be the best person I can and live the Marist way. It's hard now being in the "real world," working and going to school. It's hard to take time to reflect and think about what Jesus has taught us. Thankfully I was asked to be part of the Marist Young Adult Advisory Committee. It is truly an honor to share my thoughts and experiences with everyone in the Marist Community.

How did you get involved with Marist?
I was asked by our campus minister to become a Junior/Senior Encounter leader at Molloy. I had to attend a Marist Youth Encounter Weekend in order to become a leader, and had an amazing time. Later that year, I was also asked to attend the Marist Youth Conference at Marist College and fell in love with the people and the pride that everyone had in being Marist. During my senior year, I was asked to lead a Marist Youth Encounter Weekend and I have tried to come back and lead Encounters whenever I can.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
I stayed involved with Marist because it has helped shape the person that I am today. If I hadn’t attended a Marist school, or met the people that I have, I would not be as fortunate as I am. The opportunity to meet people from so many different places that have the values and Marist tradition is something that I will always cherish.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
I am currently in the Marist Young Adult program and I still help lead Encounters.

Do you have a Marist story to share?
I never truly realized how much an Encounter talk could impact someone and I honestly never thought anyone was really listening during the talks. Recently, however, I met a young woman who was on an Encounter in which I had given a talk and she told me that I changed her life. She had written me a letter telling me how my strength through rough times inspired her to make some changes in her life. I still have that letter and it brings me to tears to read her words and realize that this is what it truly means to be Marist.

How did you get involved with Marist?
I became involved with Marist through the countless retreat programs offered at my high school. I was invited to attend the first ever Marist Youth Conference at Marist College when I was a sophomore. I realized on this retreat that these programs were something that I really wanted to stay involved in.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
Because I made a commitment. As true as this is for the success of a corporation, it is even more so for the individual. The most important single factor in individual success is commitment. Commitment ignites action. To commit is to pledge yourself to a certain purpose or line of conduct. It also means practicing your beliefs consistently. I understand that these retreats and programs are only part of the many wonderful opportunities available to those involved with Marist.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
Not only do I teach at a Marist school in Manhattan but I also practice and try to stay true to many of the values instilled in me while being a part of Marist - the combination of a strong, positive commitment to self and to a set of principles that have served as a foundation to effectively live out my Marist identity.

Do you have a Marist story to share?
I have many that I could share. A more recent story that I can share is when I stood in front of my own classroom for the first time. The simple act of standing in front of my classroom and having students stare back at me waiting for their teacher to enlighten them only solidified my belief that a commitment to our neighbors is the best way to achieve results. Commitment to people is largely the product of treating people with respect, challenging them, and giving them effective feedback on how they are doing. I realized that I had plenty of this when I was in high school so I decided to try and do the same for my students.

How did you get involved with Marist?
I started to go to Marist Youth Meetings at my high school, and it seamed interesting and entertaining so I decided to join.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
Because serving other people fills me, as well as knowing that I make a positive impact on someone else's life.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
By serving other people, praying and living my life with a positive attitude every single day.

Do you have a Marist story to share?
There are many stories to share, join the Marist Young Adult Program and you will see.

Anything else that you would like to include in the feature?
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

How did you get involved with Marist?
In my sophomore year of high school, I was asked to attend the Marist Youth Leadership Conference at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. That weekend was one of the best weekends of my life, and from then on I became more active with Marist Youth.

Why are you still involved with Marist?
We all have potential to do great things that make a difference, and Marist Youth and now the Marist Young Adult Program give me a chance to actualize my potential. The best years of my life to date were experienced while at a Marist high school, and my experiences with the Marist Brothers and their mission have truly impacted my life. I am a better person because of Marist, and I never want to break that connection. I’m still involved because I want to give back; I want to help others experience Marist as well.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
Being Marist is an everyday effort. It’s about being true to yourself and your values, about staying positive and doing your best, and about loving God and all His people. No matter where I am, I try to live out the Marist principles and teachings because I’ve seen them work in action. I live Marist through joining this committee and staying involved in service activities at home and college.

Do you have a Marist story to share?
After coming back from the Marist Youth Leadership Conference in 2007, the other participants from my high school and I wanted to reach out and continue to practice what we learned at the conference. After some work and research, we created “Mission Aman” (Aman meaning “peace” in the native language of Pakistan). We partnered with Sargodha Catholic High School, a Marist school in Sargodha, Pakistan, to make the Marist mission real for all of the students in both schools. We exchanged emails, pictures, and letters. Our Marist Youth Core leadership team organized bake sales, mission collections, benefit concerts performed by faculty bands, and more to raise funds to support the school in Pakistan. It really was a true testament of how powerful Marist truly can be -small groups of people, separated by thousands of miles, resolved to connect and make a difference - and I was honored to be a part of it!

How did you get involved with Marist?
I got involved with Marist through the retreats at Roselle Catholic as well as through the Encounter Program. I made my Encounter in April 2005 and have been an Encounter leader ever since!

Why are you still involved with Marist?
Marist is a family to me. It is a part of who I am and because of that, I stay connected. I continue to work as a retreat leader because I want others to have the same experience of the Marist family.

How do you live out your Marist identity now?
I am an active member of the Marist Young Adult Program as well as a retreat leader. I am looking forward to helping other young adults learn more about the Marist message through my work on the Marist Young Adult Advisory Committee.