top of page

Community Organizer

At the heart of my personal and professional philosophy is the Jesuit notion of common good: developing respect for the individual, fostering the well-being of a group and working towards a just and peaceful society. The Jesuit education I received during undergrad at Seattle University (SU) affirmed that I need a vocation where I actively engage others towards the goal of building equitable community. This desire to build community with others is rooted in my small town upbringing, where I experienced a rural sense of communalism and neighborliness. During my time at SU, I sought to embody this ethic in my work as a community organizer.

 

A key component of being a community organizer is connection and developing relationships with individuals across different roles, identities and ideologies. This is exemplified by Gloria Anzaldúa’s (1987) notion of the sandbar:  

 

     The high and low tides of your life are factors which help you to          decide whether or where you’re a sandbar today, tomorrow. It            means that you’re functioning as a “bridge” (maybe partially                underwater, invisible to others) and that you can somehow                  choose who you’ll allow to “see” your bridge, who you’ll allow to          walk on your “bridge”—that is, who you’ll make connections with.        A sandbar is more fluid and shifts locations, allowing for more            mobility and more freedom. (p. 148)

 

While most of my professional experience with community organizing has taken place within the academy, I firmly believe that the role of higher education is to bridge communities inside and outside of the ivory tower. As a community organizer, I seek to embody the sandbar in my work with communities and through my activism. I have had the great privilege of connecting with so many different communities and organizations during my higher education journey, including SJTI, TIC, HUG, Outright VT, and Social Justice Fund Northwest.

 

As someone invested in community, it is important for me to pay homage to the folks have come before me and who have allowed me to come into their lives. I must honor those relationships and the individuals I have met since first coming to college 6 years ago. My deepest gratitude for the individuals featured in my portfolio and the ways they have helped me grow as a person and a professional. 

CCP Staff '14-'15

CCP Staff '14-'15

NUFP Reunion, 2014

NUFP Reunion, 2014

DEEP Cohort 2011

DEEP Cohort 2011

HESA '15 & '16 Cohorts

HESA '15 & '16 Cohorts

NUFP Mentors, Alvin & Jolie

NUFP Mentors, Alvin & Jolie

NUFP SLI 2011

NUFP SLI 2011

UPS Student Staff 2012

UPS Student Staff 2012

HESA '14 GC & Friends

HESA '14 GC & Friends

HESA '15 Cohort

HESA '15 Cohort

NUFP Friends, Philadelphia 2011

NUFP Friends, Philadelphia 2011

Reference

Anzaldúa, Gloria. (1987). Borderlands:the new mestiza/La frontera. San Francisco: Spinsters/Aunt Lute.

© 2015 by Roman Christiaens. Proudly created with Wix.com

  • Facebook App Icon
  • LinkedIn App Icon
  • Google+ App Icon
bottom of page