Senior Service Reflection: Nick Vitale '15

Each spring, Xavier seniors spend their Mondays at a self-selected service placement as part of the Senior Christian Service Program. Now more than 30 years old, the program allows seniors to follow their own interests while encouraging them to be "men for others." The Xavier E-News will check in with a senior every few weeks to learn about his service placement, why he chose it, and how the experience has affected him.

This week, Nick Vitale '15 reflects on his experience at the Seton Foundation for Learning in Staten Island.

As I began my Christian service in January, I did not know what to expect. I was going to a new place with unfamiliar faces, and I was serving a population of children that I have never encountered before. 

I volunteer at Staten Island’s Seton Foundation for Learning, a not-for-profit school for children and teenagers who suffer from mental disabilities. The school provides educational stepping stones for children from ages 3 to 21, but I primarily work with pre-school children when I volunteer. 

I must admit that my volunteer work has been much tougher than I expected. Not just providing a service in general, but committing myself, my time, and my energy to supporting and assisting these children to my fullest capabilities has been much more exhausting than I could have imagined. Before I began, I thought that Monday would simply be a day off from school: an extra day of the weekend and a chance to catch up on some sleep. But that has not been the case at all. Working with children, specifically working with special needs children in pre-school, has shown me the difficulties and hard work that many people endure. It has given me a greater feeling of gratitude towards the teachers, doctors, and parents who contribute to the Seton Foundation every day. It has shown me how lucky I am to be in a safe, secure home, with great health and parents who genuinely take care of me in every way possible.  

Through all the hard work and personal realizations, it has been an enjoyable experience. The people I work with have been nothing but welcoming and kind, and the children I work with are equally as accepting, and even adorable. I have been placed in a classroom with four teachers who have graciously welcomed me into their daily routine and have even shared with me their stories and experiences from high school and beyond. I have been able to establish relationships with teachers and children that I would have never been able to establish before. It is amazing how some kids remember that I only come on Mondays, and the looks of anticipation and joy they feel when they see me is priceless and unexplainable. It is an incredible feeling to see (through the looks on their faces and through their emotions) that they truly do not want the day to end and cannot wait for the next Monday. It is an even more incredible feeling when I recognize those same emotions in myself.