INITIAL SERIES 2024 | Transformative campus experiences and family inspiration influence seniors’ service work

As the daughter of a surgeon, an infectious disease and internal medicine physician, senior Claire Schomogyi has always had a need and desire to serve others.

Shortly after joining Marquette, the theology major with minors in psychology and biology set her sights on occupational therapy: She wanted to work with stroke survivors. Schomogyi will graduate this month and is planning a short but important detour on his way to OT school: a year of service with FrancisCorp, a gospel ministry where volunteers serve in a Franciscan community in the name of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi.

Her time at Marquette and her anchoring in the Ignatian value of being for and with others has changed the way Schomogyi views service work.

“After living with Ignatian spirituality in mind for the past four years and experiencing Benedictine spirituality during summer volunteer work, I am happy to have another glimpse into simple, Catholic life during my time in a Franciscan community ,” says Schomogyi. “Service is not intended to be transactional; It’s not meant to be a bowl of soup in exchange for letting me see you smile. Service is the privilege of sitting with someone at their most vulnerable moment and having the courage to show me. I learned that at Marquette.”

Ultimately, Schomogyi hopes to work at the hospice center at her volunteer location in Syracuse, New York. She says she doesn’t know what drives her love for the elderly, but she genuinely loves caring for them.

“I think there are many dimensions to why I do what I do,” says Schomogyi. “I love listening to other people tell stories, and often that’s what older people need: someone to listen to their stories and listen with purpose.”

She remembers learning that lesson from her parents.

“My father used to work in a hospice and he also has a soft spot for the elderly,” says Schomogyi. “But both parents showed me the value of listening to and caring for their patients. They both make deliberate efforts not to dismiss their patients, but instead build relationships to show that they care about the person they care for.”

Schomogyi also calls her sister one of her greatest role models, someone who showed her the value of service as a calling.

“My sister broke the mold in my family by serving for two years in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Bethel, Alaska,” says Schomogyi. “Her work wasn’t glorious or social media worthy, but what she did was help a community thrive, and I saw how much she enjoyed life again and how much she loved doing really good work for the people she cared about .”

Schomogyi begins her service journey in July, curious to see what the simple life looks like, taking a moment to relax and reflect during her volunteer work. She thinks of a quote from John Green’s “The Anthropocene Reviewed.”

“In it he talks about how people are told: ‘Don’t just stand there, do something.’ He learned that sometimes people should instead be told, “Don’t just do something, just stand there,” Schomogyi says. “I love putting that into practice in my service and not immediately attacking a problem to solve it, but instead just being there to fully understand the community and its needs.

“But whatever I do in the mix of work, faith and prayer, it is a whole new journey that inspires me to get started.”