Educating Hearts and Minds, March Edition 2024

By Erica Zamora

It’s easy to be at a loss for words these days. In difficult times, turning to our charism can be grounding, and finding a source of critical hope, empowering. In the Office of Student Belonging and Inclusive Excellence at St. Edward’s University, I find hope in our students.

Guiding students through their identity development and exploration of inclusion and advocacy is rewarding work. It’s also incredibly taxing. With the constant negative news in the world these days, it’s easy to lose sight of our purpose and mission as educators. In these moments where I am struggling to discern how best to serve our students, I return to the concept of educating hearts and minds.?

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To us, educating hearts and minds begins with holding space for students to understand where they’re at. When listening and forming conversations, we weave together the realities of the world and validate their feelings to create a path forward together. We gather and conceptualize their notions from the classroom with concepts of the larger world community, and dream of how we’ll be agents of positive social change. We talk about taking care of our campus, taking care of our home communities, and leaving a lasting impact on the world. We talk about the mission of our institution, how it has shaped us, and how we hope to leave a legacy of learning in our communities. It is in these moments I am renewed with commitment and intention in the Holy Cross tradition.?

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I’m finding hope every single day in watching our students care for each other and find joy in difficult moments. The way they instinctively hold that joy and difficulty in the same space is a skill, and it will carry them far. As much as we create spaces to educate their hearts and minds, I too find my own heart and mind growing and evolving with each new conversation. While it’s easy to be at a loss for words these days, it’s also easy to find hope—just turn to the students.