Celebrating Our 2022 Summer Fellows
By: John Parente
Sr. Nancy Hendershot, CSA, Blaire Barr, Joyce Haynes, Mark Yantek
On Friday August 12, Catholic Community Connection celebrated the completion of the 2022 Summer Fellows Program. It consisted of 10 weeks of real-world experience within the Catholic ministries of Cleveland. This fellowship prepares students mentally, professionally, and spiritually as they make decisions for their future careers.
Three students participated in the Fellows Program this year: Blaire Barr, Caroline DiFabio and Andre Allen. Two fellows were mentored by their organization and the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. Sr. Nancy Hendershot, CSA and Sr. Ruth Ann Patrick, CSA were mentors for Blaire. She is a student at Notre Dame College and her fellowship was at Regina Health Center within their Human Resources department. Her supervisor, Joyce Haynes, had Blaire work on various assignments. She gained experience hiring individuals for different roles within the organization. Mark Yantek, Executive Director of Regina Health Center, reflected upon how he was delighted to hear Blaire professionally speak to job-seeking candidates.
Sr. Catherine Walsh, CSA was Caroline’s mentor. Caroline is a student at John Carroll University, and she spent her fellowship at St. Augustine Health Ministries. She worked for Dana Carns in their Marketing department and was able to get hands on experience conducting campaigns and running their social media page.
Sr. Catherine Walsh, CSA, Caroline DiFabio and Dana Carns
Andre is a student at Notre Dame College. Andre spent his time at Catholic Cemeteries working for Andrew Babic in their IT department. His mentor was Aaron Poklar. He was able to get an in depth look at how large businesses manage apps, network security, and more.
Marian Rubin, President of Catholic Community Connection (CSA Associate) opened the ceremony. Sue Gaughan and John Parente (CCC staff) assisted with the details of the Fellows program throughout the summer. We celebrated the afternoon with lunch, prayer (with Sr. Nancy) and closed with reflection time (led by Sr. Catherine) about the last few weeks. The mentors and fellows came together to share gratitude for each other and for the opportunity to collaborate. Everyone involved grew in this journey and we look forward to having another group of fellows participate next year.