What does it mean to succeed at Loyola? It’s a question that is relevant to all students yet often overlooked, a topic that isn’t talked about a lot. More commonly, people rush from class to class doing school work and focusing on their next assignment. To be successful, we must determine what it is and how we can achieve success. Success does not link to the kid with the highest GPA or the best college sports offers. Success at Loyola is the process; it might be going into office hours to review before a test, or it might be the morning lifts for sports. Success isn’t about academic achievement, but it’s about building a process and having effective habits.
According to Jeremy Foldesy, fine arts teacher at Loyola, an indicator of a student’s degree success is “hard work and openness to new things.” From a standpoint in the art classroom, Foldesy says it’s easy to be intimidated to start a project. He says that success is like a drawing project; you have to start small and break it down inch by inch. This means taking on difficult assignments, whether they are a complex math problem or a long essay, one manageable piece at a time. Some on-campus help for learning are the Ignatian scholars and Father Hudson in the library. Also, going to office hours to review with the teacher helps a lot as well.
Kiran Spurling ’28 believes that success for him is dependent on how well he embodies the Loyola values. When interviewed about which Loyola core values resonated with him, he replied, “When I think of success, I think of the Grad at Grad values.” Spurling 28’ goes on to say that Cura Personalis is one of the most important values for him because it not only means to excel, but to care for yourself. Spurling believes that Cura Personalis brings balance to a person and teaches them the holistic aspect, allowing them to become a more well-rounded person. It’s also the reason a successful Loyola student is like no other. Being a successful Cub demands scholarship, service, and self-care. Because success is built through character, Loyola brings us to build character by requiring service to the community.
In conclusion, we should regard success at Loyola as a byproduct of a daily process. As Mr. Foldesy said, it takes hard work and openness to make small steps toward a large goal. Success at Loyola means balancing hard classes with the Jesuit mission of a whole person. True success doesn’t come overnight, it comes from focusing on consistent habits and living the “Grad at Grad” values, every student can be a successful Cub!
