This summer is going to be different than summers in the past. After graduating from Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College a few weeks ago, I have struggled to maintain a strong spiritual life without the regularity of a school and work schedule.

Most of my childhood Sundays were spent below the stained glass windows of a beautiful church filled with incense. I was a “cradle Catholic,” baptized in a white gown and confirmed when I still had braces. However, some Sundays I spent in a modestly decorated Pentecostal church. 

I don’t go to a Catholic high school, but I have friends who do. Some of their stories suggest a failure in the Catholic education system that makes me feel relieved that I’m not their classmate. But I think if schools continue down this path, we are endangering the future of Catholic values in society, which is disheartening to me.

Because of the Canada Summer Jobs program’s new attestation, the summer camp where I work will run with staffing changes, reduced programming and an increase in registration costs. 

When I was elected student trustee for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board a year ago, I had no idea what to expect. What I have learned leaves me both grateful and hopeful.

It has been one year since I graduated from the Bachelor of Commerce program at the University of Manitoba and I can’t help but think back to a time when I was drowning in the stress of exams. 

When the afternoon of May 12 comes, I will walk across the stage, robed in a graduation gown, ready to take on the world. 

When I was younger, it wasn’t difficult for me to balance my faith with extra-curricular activities and family obligations. 

As I approach the end of my time in university, I have been doing a lot of thinking about those who have played an important role in my life through these years. Among those who have supported, inspired and encouraged me, one who stands out is Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati.