What impels you to support Tribe Rising? And why should other people care about what Tribe Rising is doing?

I believe it is an obligation for those of us in comfortable life situations to reach out and help others to attain the same level of comfort and security. Catholic Social Teaching proclaims that the dignity of each human person is the foundation for a moral vision for society. We are one human family whatever our ethnic, racial, economic, and ideological differences. Tribe Rising is working to bring that teaching to fruition. Providing an education for young people is the most effective way of ensuring the dignity of the individual and the right to a decent life.
Was there someone or something in high school the influenced you as student or set you on a career path?
My high school Spanish teacher inspired me to look beyond my white middle-class culture (this was in the late 1950’s) to see the beauty and value of other races and ethnicities. She also modeled for me what it means to be a good teacher. I followed in her footsteps and became a high school Spanish teacher.

 
What was the best trip you have ever taken?

This is a hard one since I’ve been blest with so many travels to foreign countries. However, the best is probably my trip to Machu Pichu in 2007. The vastness, the wonder of Incan engineering, the sense of the sacred are unforgettable.

 
What is the best book you have read in the past twelve months?

Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. The book helped me understand the current socio-economic situation in our country.

What was the most surprising/unexpected/joyful/challenging part of your trip to Gurap?

The most surprising was that my concerns about keeping up (I made the trip two months before my 80th birthday) were unfounded. Feedback from the group was that I did just fine. The unexpected was the incredibly warm welcome and generous hospitality on the part of the Jesuits of the Kolkata Province – a joyous and humbling experience. The joyful part was being with the students – I fell in love with them. The only challenge I faced was the air quality in Kolkata; in Gurap it was fine.