Christ’s humanity constantly reminds us that, amidst all of our faults and shortcomings, we are not alone as we navigate through our struggles. At the onset of this school year, we defined a framework upon which the objectives of our student-mentor relationship would be based. Balance in life, we recognized, allows for a fuller experience of faith. By identifying four areas of focus—religious, intellectual, personal and physical—we agreed on strategies for use in achieving an equilibrium amongst these four pillars.
Over the course of the academic year, our student-mentor relationship developed into a meaningful friendship. To enrich our sense of shared community, we introduced one another to family, friends and contacts. We jointly attended a medieval history class, a classical music concert and an entrepreneurship workshop among other campus events, regularly encouraging one another in the pursuit of intellectual activities. We also ensured adherence to regular exercise and a healthy dietary regimen.
Moreover, we planned out prayer schedules and discussed Scripture regularly, emphasizing the importance of discipline in life and worship. We aimed to help one another grow in well-being by achieving an equilibrium among the religious, academic, emotional and physical aspects of fulfillment in life and active membership in the Church.
By promoting a balanced life, grounded in our Christian faith, we strove to create a student-mentor relationship and a friendship worthy of the ESTEEM name. The ESTEEM programs at STM and across the country are models for engaging young adults and fostering their commitment to the Church and to faithful service. We encourage all students to thoughtfully consider participation in ESTEEM.
