Staff Writer

With Valentine’s Day approaching faster than single people can find a Tinder match, those of you who are not single and lonely are probably contemplating about how to spend time with your significant other. Making someone feel special does not have to be spendy, and you can still plan sincere dates without breaking the bank. If you have already spent the majority of your funds on books for class, here are five ideas that cost less than your standard Assumption University textbook (These are also cold friendly, since everyone is freezing their butts off in February)!

Movie Night Roulette – Instead of your standard movie night, take your other half to Target or any grocery store. Let them close their eyes in a few different isles, walk around, and tell them when to stop. This way they’ll pick out surprise candy, snacks, and a drink. If you’re feeling sweet, this could even be a themed movie night. Cozy up the living room or dorm, and make them feel loved! This requires minimal spending but can still be heartfelt and compassionate. Throw in flowers, and it’ll be even better!

Paint Night – Buy two standard-sized canvases and a couple of types of cheap paint. Pull out your paintbrushes, pour a glass of wine (if of age), and paint each other! For the less artistic couples, this can always be a silly way to make memories. This specific idea has been trending on instagram and reels! Check there for inspiration if you feel so inclined. You can even add some fun snacks in there, homemade chocolate covered strawberries, or matching pajamas to seal the deal!

Pizza & Baking Night – Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to put your cooking and baking skills to use! Bake heart-shaped pizzas with cheap ingredients from the super market, and homemade chocolate chip cookies. You could even go crazy with ice cream sundaes, and some board games afterwards. This is a very simple but cute way to have a fun dinner without spending too much!

DIY Spa Night – Pamper your gal or guy with cheap items you can find at the Dollar Tree, or any other grocery store. Face and hand masks, cozy robes, and foot massages will leave your lover feeling very appreciated this Valentine’s! Throw in a movie night after, or some fun sweet treats, and it’s sure to be a memorable evening.

Ice Skating/Hikes – For the more active couples, you may consider going on a nice hike (even though it’s so cold), or going out and doing a Winter activity, such as ice skating. This is a fun way to get out of the house, and it’s not so expensive. It certainly costs less than a textbook!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these fun ideas, and are able to make memories that are cheap and cheery! Happy Valentine’s Day!

News Editor

Jared Magno is saying farewell to Assumption. Since 2024, he has brought empathy, compassion, and spirit to the university in his role as the Student Engagement Coordinator in the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership.

During his time at Assumption, Magno contributed to a vast array of student activities. He was the Pub Manager for Pierre’s Pub and was responsible for the training of orientation leaders. His empathy and humor were always present in all his work.

Student leaders have been reflecting on their time working with Jared as an advisor, mentor, and leader. Orientation Executive Meredith Gendreau had the opportunity to work closely with Magno in preparation for the Summer Orientation Program.

She shared, “Jared allowed me to have such a positive and enlightening experience as an Orientation Executive. His kindness is unmatched. I always aimed to model his way of caring for each and every person he crossed paths with.”

One group of students that Magno truly made an impact on was the Class of 2028. Magno got to witness some of these students as orientees transforming into Orientation Leaders. His first day at Assumption was the first day of Orientation Training in the summer of 2024.

Olivia Mullen, a sophomore student, admired his passion for his work. She said, “Jared positively contributed to my Assumption experience because of his fun, joking, caring personality. Jared was an amazing part of this campus, and his energy put a smile on my face whenever I saw him. He is such a strong leader and a hard worker.”

Orientation was where Jared shone the most, running a smooth program and leading a team of student leaders to welcome a new class to campus.

Gendreau and Mullen, who were Orientation Leaders this year, both shared memories from this past summer, with Gendreau saying, “My favorite memories with Jared include late-night golf cart runs with Austin, Ryanne, and her dog, Teddy. He’d let us blast the music and just take some time away from the craziness.”

One person who Magno made a big impact on was senior Annie Fontaine, who was an Orientation Executive under him for two years.

Fontaine said, “Working with him at summer orientation was always so much fun. He makes the long, tiring days fly by. The next group of students who get to work with him are the luckiest and I hope they know it!” 

Connor Doyle, Student Government Association Policy Committee Chair and Orientation Leader, has worked closely with Magno.

He shared, “Every day, he modeled great leadership by showing us that we could be disciplined and have fun while doing impactful work. I’ll never forget how he made all of the orientation leaders feel like a family, and spending hours with him filling his entire whiteboard with a brand new system for SGA.”

With all of these memories, it is the leadership and life lessons that stick out to Gendreau, Mullen, Fontaine, and Doyle the most.

Gendreau shared, “He taught me the importance of being a welcoming presence for people, which definitely came into play during orientation itself, but also in my everyday life. His ability to think on the fly and problem-solve so effectively is something I always admired. He handles everything in life with such poise and professionalism.”

Magno’s interactions with students in the pub were something many of them will never forget. Whether going to a late-night event or watching a football game with friends, Magno brought fun energy and smiles to the pub every weekend.

Christopher Lambert, a senior student who has visited the pub, shared, “He always treated me like a friend and not as [an] administrator. There was never a dull moment in the pub.” Doyle added, “I’ll miss surprising him at the Pub on a Thursday night so that he wouldn’t be alone.”

One thing about Magno remained consistent for all Assumption student leaders: teaching them leadership while connecting with them on a personal level.

Fontaine added, “I knew I could always count on him for a laugh! In his short amount of time here, I think he impacted many students’ lives, who will all miss him so much.”

Although Magno is moving on from Assumption, he isn’t moving on from making positive impacts on students’ lives. Mullen said, “I wish him the very best [in his next chapter], he will thrive just like he did here, and he will be missed by so many.” Gendreau added, “I truly can’t wait to see him make a difference at his next position just as he did for me.”

Magno’s last day at Assumption is Wednesday, Oct. 29. Although he has already had his last day as the manager of Pierre’s Pub, you can find him in his office to wish him well in his next chapter. As Fontaine shares, “He’s one of a kind and I know he will do great things in his future.”

Editor in Chief

After 23 years at Assumption University, Italian Studies Professor Richard Bonanno still finds inspiration daily in the classroom. “I am these students. I am who they make me to be, and I learn so much from them all of the time,” he said. What surprises him most, even now, is the power of shared passions. “At first, I never realized how big of a community you can build your own passions, such as film and music.”

In his early years, Bonanno quickly developed a love for music, but most notably wished he pursued a career in music even earlier. “Thinking back, I would have loved to have pursued a career in music—but I am not a very good musician at all. I missed the boat on that; maybe I should have pursued that much earlier in life.”

Upon Bonanno’s reflection regarding his musical past, he also pondered about his time with music and mentorship in college. “One thing that I regret is not really having an artistic or academic mentor. I wish I had had that. I did okay, both without a mentor and attending a large research institution [UMass Amherst]. I had one professor in particular, but because it was such a large place, it was easy to get lost in the crowd and get lost through the cracks. I regret not having a mentor in that way,” he said.

However, Bonanno is viewed as a mentor himself for his students at Assumption University. Emily Brill, a senior Communications and Media student, has taken ITA 101 and ITA 102 with Bonanno. Describing him as a “passionate, curious and animated” professor, Brill recalled Bonanno’s care and mentorship towards his students. “Throughout my courses, Professor Bonanno gave us a piece of advice by saying ‘enjoy every sandwich’— which in his words may mean ‘enjoy every opportunity that is presented to you.’ Do not so much dwell on the negatives of life, but rather enjoy what is presented to you to its fullest,” Brill said.

Additionally, Bonanno most notably incorporates early life lessons from his mother towards his students and everyone he encounters. “My teachings are aimed to be rooted in kindness,” he explained. “If you have nothing good to say, do not say anything at all. It’s a powerful statement about being honest and kind; about reframing, considering what thoughts and opinions may be, and others. It’s important to take them into consideration. That strikes me and I think about that often.”

Aside from the kindness Bonanno is known for, he is also known amongst students and faculty for his love of playing guitar and singing with his students. Brill concluded that, while “Bonanno takes time to get to know his students and incorporates aspects of students’ lives into his lessons, it also helps that he plays guitar—which shows his passion for Italian further.”

Multiple musical performances of his can be heard amongst the halls of Founders in his office. “Even if they are not sure of who I am, they can at least hear me play—hopefully even enjoy it,” Bonanno stated while smiling. “It is something I have always enjoyed doing, writing and playing music for others. Why not share it?”

Bonanno is happy to have passed his love of music to his son, Antonio. “Although, he is way better than me,” he said, laughing. “He plays guitar, bass, trumpet, saxophone and drums. I can’t keep up.”

Bonanno also travels widely with his family and on solo trips. “I actually just came back from Hawaii after visiting an old friend. It just reminds me of how much I love seeing new things, how much there is to see.” He quickly added, “I suppose that is why I was driven to learning about language and cultures in the first place. I had such a curiosity to want to learn more, so I dove into the academics of it all. Here I am now, teaching what I have learned to others.”

Similarly, Bonanno maintains a collection of vintage cameras that resides in his office, in which he is constantly reminded of his passion for film, and his love of making some of his own. “I like to make small films, usually with my Italian students. It creates a different environment, and leaves them with hopefully a good experience in the end. We all get pretty close by the end of the course,” Bonanno said.

Bonanno personally runs a social media account, in which the small projects filmed with students mentioned above can be found. The videos range from promoting the benefits, content and experiences gained through learning with Bonanno, and amongst each other. Videos also include songs Bonanno writes himself, sometimes performs, alongside his students. “Italian Studies is more than just a language,” the Instagram page states. As Bonanno explained, “It’s a shared experience.”

As of the last decade, Bonanno has taken an active role when it comes to Assumption’s campus in Rome, Italy. “I have spent a good amount of time there— being a point person, teaching. But I also see new things every time I go. Italy is never boring for me, and you cannot ever see it all.”

Bonanno had recently spearheaded the SOPHIA Capstone trip for the sophomore (now senior) students in the summer of 2024. “I absolutely loved that trip. All of them wanted to see everything. I tried to shove an entire semester’s worth into eight days. It was a lot, but they made the best of it; it was a great group.”

Andrew McGaffigan, a senior Organizational Communications major, is a student who spent time with Bonanno on the trip. “I had the opportunity of getting to know Professor Bonanno on a more personal level last year.”

McGaffigan, who would have not had experience with Bonanno otherwise outside of the SOPHIA program, formed a bond with him by the end of the experience. “By the end of our trip, it felt like I had known him for years. He made our time extremely memorable for me and many other students in our group,” he said.

Originally, Professor Bonanno was not planned to be heavily involved with the SOPHIA program during that summer, but took on the mantle of leading the group of students throughout Italy.

“SOPHIA, for me, was about finding the common framework of wanting to be

kind to everyone. I try to teach the same thing to my students back home too; although, that is a mindset that must be learned, not solely taught,” Bonanno stated.

Bonanno continues to hone all of his learned and shared experiences—both at home and abroad. As he further enjoys his love of music and film with his students daily, he will also share to anyone who has the pleasure of getting to know his kindness beyond the classroom. He shared in finality, “Once you find a passion, the greatest blessing is to be able to teach it to others who will listen.”

Guest Writer

Michelle Graveline began playing piano at a young age, but she soon became interested in a new instrument. “I would hear the organ and it would be loud and fast, and I just thought that was great,” she said. “…by the end of fifth grade, I could reach the pedals and begin to learn to play,” Graveline added. 

She became a talented organist, taught by a nun from her school. “By the time I was in seventh grade, she had me accompany the whole Midnight Mass so she could conduct,” she explained. 

The pipe organ looks intimidating to most adults with several keyboards and various pipes all being controlled at once, but this did not stop a young Graveline from pursuing her desire to learn how to play the challenging instrument. 

A member of the Assumption community for 40 years, Michelle Graveline has certainly had an impact on the university, especially regarding the music program. After receiving her bachelor’s and master’s from Boston University and later, her doctorate from the University of Michigan, Graveline began working at Assumption in 1984 as a professor. She taught many classes including Chorale, Women in Music, and Music Theory. In 2019, she decided it was time to retire, however, she came out of retirement to fill an interim role as the Dean of the D’Amour College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She retired for the second time last May. 

Graveline’s path led her to Assumption when she heard about a job opening after her time in school. She was attracted to the job, “I grew up not far from Worcester, so I knew Assumption… my father had gone here.” Additionally, she said, “When I was a senior in college I did a “pre” senior recital here [at Assumption].” 

Some of Graveline’s most fond moments during her time at Assumption have been traveling with the Chorale. “One of the most exciting times was in 1986. I took the chorale on our first European tour… our president at the time arranged for us to sing for the Pope, Pope John Paul II,” she shared. 

“I arranged the chorale and had them start singing and I turn around and low and behold, there is the Pope,” she added. Graveline goes on to show a picture of her and the Chorale with Pope John Paul II. 

She shared another story of her travel experiences with Assumption’s Chorale: “One year in 1990, we went to Russia… that was when it was still the Soviet Union… There, we sang at the French embassy and the American Ambassador’s residence.” 

These travel experiences are ones she explained will always hold importance to her. “What I love about traveling to these countries is that, for many of these students, they haven’t been abroad, so it’s a great experience for everybody,” Graveline said. 

 Graveline “turned the music program here at Assumption into a true major,” Professor Peter Clemente explains. Clemente is a music professor at Assumption University and has had the opportunity to work closely with Graveline. 

Additionally, she impacted the organization by creating the organ scholarship program and later, the voice scholarships, which was followed by some available for other instruments. These scholarships are offered to Assumption students who are musically talented and allow them to grow as musicians while earning their degrees. This will contribute to the future of the music program. “She helped bring the music department to its rightful place here at a liberal arts institution,” Clemente adds. 

Assumption alumnus and past organ scholar, Jake Dowgewicz, expressed, “Professor Graveline is the reason I am where I am today.” As Dowgewicz puts it, “The organ lessons I took from her were constructive and influential in all aspects of my college education (except math classes) and work ethic.” 

As previously mentioned, travel experiences were some highlights of Dean Graveline’s time at Assumption. They also were formative for the students attending them. As Dowgewicz says, “The Chorale trip she led to Ireland was a wonderful experience to perform in new spaces, as well as the reward of many months of practice.” 

When asked about a piece of advice for current college students or anyone, Graveline shared, “Take time to appreciate some of the things around you.” Her positive impact on the Assumption community is an obvious one. Without a doubt, Graveline left behind a legacy she built at this school.

Staff Writer Abroad

Dr. Barry C. Knowlton is a long-standing member of Assumption, ever-familiar with its core beliefs––long before “The pursuit of truth in the company of friends” became a popularized phrase among students.

He attended Assumption College in 1980 when “Until Christ be formed in you,” the words of Fr. D’Alzon, was the common phrase that shaped the University’s fundamental beliefs. The phrase emphasizes how the transcendent can materialize itself in students, so long as they conduct their lives properly. It informs their core values, and gives their Catholic liberal arts education a directive and purpose––a directive and purpose which the postmodernity of the 21st century discards, replacing it with the aimless wanderings of individuals in isolation.

Dr. Knowlton’s work reflects how he lives to be formed by Christ, and how he helps his students to achieve the same formation that will mark the rest of their lives. An unsung hero of the University and firm believer in its deepest-held values, Dr. Knowlton works to reinvigorate today’s students’ desire to delve ever deeper into the liberal arts. His warm enthusiasm pervades every class, gently encouraging them to partake in his love of learning, a love that began decades ago and still burns brightly today.

Dr. Knowlton is what many would call a learned man, considering that he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English, two masters’ degrees in English and Classics, and a Ph.D. in History. He brings his expertise in these fields to Assumption, teaching in three different departments.

Those who know Dr. Knowlton personally are aware that teaching is not merely a career path that he chose to pursue, but a vocation that he was called to; it is not a one-time arbitrary selection of a job he might enjoy, but a gradual growth into the commitment that gives him purpose in the context of something far more important.

Despite being happily married to Dean Eloise Knowlton, he carries himself in an almost priestly manner, as if to give his words in the classroom due reverence, pointing students to a greater truth. 

“In everything I teach, I try to teach students to become better readers and writers,” said Dr. Knowlton. “…and this is based on my conviction that it’s the ability to use language that makes us human…and I think even most secular academics would agree with that.”

He appreciates and shares the incredible gift of language that humans have as a medium to formulate, deliver, and receive ideas––ideas which allow man to make sense of the world and his purpose in it, and ideas that allow him to examine the three transcendentals: truth, goodness, and beauty. Language, he argues, is at the heart of a liberal arts education, and furthermore, our humanity. 

“We are created in the image and likeness of God,” he said. “The ability to use language is the image of God in which we are created.”

By protecting and cultivating students’ ability to use language, which is unique to humans, Dr. Knowlton works to nurture not only their human dignity, but their formation in, with, and through Christ. This approach to teaching reflects how his guidance under the founder’s phrase, “Until Christ be formed in you,” encourages students to partake in the transcendent Good.

Yet this vision of cultivating language in a non-confrontational world of isolation and loneliness proves difficult. “This is why I get as anxious as I do about whether people are reading and writing anything anymore,” he commented. 

“What I think benefits the University is sticking to its mission and its core values to the Catholic liberal arts tradition, and to do that even when there are so many pressures saying, ‘No, no––we don’t need to study classics.’”

Today’s culture renders the liberal arts––the culmination of language––as irrelevant or optional. Against this portrayal damaging to human dignity, Dr. Knowlton believes that Assumption should insist on how indispensable the liberal arts are.

Dr. Knowlton’s work across departments at Assumption counters the postmodern disinterest and indifference towards the liberal arts that turns people off to authentic communication. “I think it’s so urgent…that we cultivate the capacities that make us human,” Dr. Knowlton argued. He teaches each lesson with delicacy and care, inspiring students to share both an enthusiasm to learn, and collective knowledge using language. 

“This Catholic faith…inspires [and] animates my teaching,” he said with conviction. With every class, he teaches with the faith that his lessons will form students in a profound way, the hope that the generation he teaches may continue the legacy of the liberal arts, and the love of the gifts of ideas communicated through language.

His work embodies the motto “Until Christ be formed in you” in a way that students admire as he enriches their human dignity, allowing them to commune with others in, with, and through Christ.

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Comedy has always been at the center in the life of Christopher Gilbert, Associate Professor of English, here at Assumption University and teaches much of the courses that fall under the Communication and Media major.

It starts with his family, “one of our primary modes of communication with each other is comedy and we joke a lot, and it really is central to the way that we engage with one another” and that virtue is carried with him throughout his teaching career.

The ideas of comedy and editorial cartooning are paramount for his areas of interest and most of his area of study, which he does not shy away from in his teaching structures.

Professor Gilbert has spent most of his time at Assumption University engaging in meaningful conversations about culture and comedy, both being special areas of study for him.

After getting his master’s degree and Ph. D. in Rhetoric from Indiana University, it is easy for him to look at the more complicated side of things rather than the “commercial” side, which he was also able to look at after receiving a bachelor’s degree in marketing from UMASS: Amherst.

One of the main areas of interest throughout his college career and now in his research is editorial cartoons and comedy, more specifically, satire television.

Professor Gilbert explains that he “found it very interesting that this way of communicating through comedy, satire, irony, any number of ways to imagine that it was not confined to spaces outside of the mainstream or outside of say, official political culture or outside of official politics, it was invading the center”, which then became part of his curriculum in most of his courses.

Most of his interest in editorial cartooning involves politics and political culture, including the main topic of his book, war culture.

In his book Caricature and National Character: The United States at War, Professor Gilbert focuses on how to understand American character and culture, specifically in times of war or crisis.

The book highlights his interest in caricature and comedy, discussing how symbols and images have become a part of our country’s culture. He refers this interest back to a grandfather “figure” to him, “to then be able to look at, like, the stories about war culture coming from this very anti-war individual, how do we grapple with that? Does comedy provide us a way to grapple with it or does it problematize it or does it make it more troubling?” as this grandfather “figure” fought in World War II.

Professor Gilbert has always had a strong interest in how we, as a culture, can communicate through comedy, specifically looking at political culture.

Gilbert explains that “the relevance of it has been both striking me and haunting me because these sorts of conflicts are the things that probably trouble me and others the most” when speaking about the importance that his book holds in our modern society.

When speaking about his teaching methods and bringing comedy, satire, irony, etc. into the classroom, “the personal stuff matters, it’s what gets us invested”, so it is easy for him to become connected with his students and have meaningful conversations with them.

For Professor Gilbert, he has “always been interested in bringing things that I think matter, to me, to bear as often times, a resource for students to get engaged in things that matter to them”, which is how he can make connections more prominent in his teaching.

“Chris’ perspective when he voices it is respected, but he doesn’t go out of his way all the time to make sure his perspective is heard” says Molly McGrath, Professor of Philosophy at Assumption.

Professor McGrath has served on different committees with Professor Gilbert and considers his voice and presence to be “gentle” when there are times of disagreement among committees. McGrath also states that “his focus on culture and helping students decode, understand, and read the cultural artifacts around them” directly connects to her material and research on the philosophy of culture, which further connects students to the main goal of a liberal arts education.

Similarly, Ty Monroe, Professor of Theology at Assumption states “I think our teaching slash general education styles and vibes mesh well together” when speaking about the partnership for the COMPASS linkage here at Assumption.

Professor Monroe believes it was easier for the first years entering Assumption to relate to Professor Monroe and Professor Gilbert because of how they teach. “He’s trying to suggest to students, ‘notice how words spoken, written, drawn point to realities that are beneath the surface or above the surface, there’s more that meets the eye” referring to how their teaching materials interconnect.

News Editor

A puppy named Avalon was trained in Massachusetts to be a service dog to someone with a disability. She worked with an incarcerated individual and a weekend trainer to learn up to 60 commands. Now, she is an assistance dog in the military, whose training was partly completed by Brenda Torres, Assumption University Administrative Assistant in the Office of Student Affairs and Student Success. Torres is a weekend puppy raiser with the National Education for Assistance Dog Services and Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans, also known as NEADS, which is a non-profit organization that trains service dogs. “I’ve become known for this. It’s a part of my life, but one that I’ve just come to accept and love.”

Torres grew up in Maine, where her family raised German shepherds. She attended Atlantic Union College where she received her Associate of Science Degree, and then received her Bachelor of Science Degree at Assumption University, where she now works. At Assumption, Torres doesn’t just help students with scheduling meetings but also supports students with anything they need help with. Steisy Herrera Soto, a first-year student at Assumption who has a work-study with Torres, said, “… she’s really great [and] she’s one of the nicest people I’ve met here on campus.”

After Torres had to put her last dog down, she didn’t want to get a new dog right away. Instead, she decided to use her love for dogs in a way that would give back to the community: volunteering for NEADS. When asked why she joined NEADS, Torres said, “Just my love for dogs, and a desire to give back.”

NEADS is a non-profit organization in Princeton, MA, that has been in the business of training and placing service dogs and hearing dogs since 1976. They work with dogs outside of prisons, and incarcerated inmates train the service dogs during the week. Torres said, “It has only enriched my world.”

Incarcerated individuals train service dogs Monday through Friday in prisons. It is a competitive program, and inmates need to have a good record within the prison system to apply to be a trainer with NEADS. The incarcerated individuals who work with these dogs are individuals with longer sentences because they need someone who can commit to training a dog for up to two years. However, the incarcerated individuals are not in prison for violent crimes.

In her time with NEADS, Torres has trained over 10 dogs, with six successfully graduating. When asked about what drew her to volunteer for NEADS, Torres said, “It’s my greatest joy. What I thought was just gonna be a weekend hobby has become my passion.”

Bailey Sullivan, the Assistant Manager of Raiser Operations for NEADS, said of Torres, “Brenda is amazing. She is one of, I would say, one of our long-time and best volunteers.”

As a weekend puppy raiser, Torres is assigned a service dog for a year, which she takes out of prison on the weekends. She assures that the dogs maintain the obedience work that they are taught during the week in the prison. “When we take them out on the weekends, the puppy raiser’s job is to reinforce the tasks that the dog is learning or already knows, but our major goal is to expose them to everything outside of prison,” Torres said.

The weekend puppy raisers play a huge role in the training of the service dogs. “The weekend raisers do a great job of prepping them for what their working life will be,” said Sullivan.

As a weekend raiser, Torres has been able to bring dogs out in public and expose them to the real world. She has brought them to many different places, including elevators, stores, and restaurants. “She [Brenda] and the weekend raisers who do this really prep the dog for a life to be focused on their clients and not really care about what’s going on around them,” said Sullivan.

Torres has found it very rewarding seeing incarcerated individuals train the service dogs during the week. At Concord Farm’s pre-release program, she has been able to meet the incarcerated individual training the service dog she is taking for the weekend, which she has come to enjoy.

Service dogs have now become a great interest of Torres. Through this interest, she has been able to train service dogs to perform between 50 and 60 tasks and commands. These tasks include pushing elevator buttons and opening doors, and for hearing dogs, alerting their clients to sounds. However, because these dogs need to learn up to 60 commands, not all dogs can do it. As mentioned previously, Torres had six out of the ten dogs she has trained so far graduate, meaning four dogs did not. “Not every dog is cut out to be a service dog,” she said.

There was one dog in particular who made a big impact on Torres’ life: Sully, a service dog that Torres raised during the COVID-19 pandemic. NEADS had to shut down the prisons that they worked with, which meant they had to get all the dogs out, so Torres took in Sully. It was unknown how long Torres would have Sully. “What I thought might be two weeks full-time turned into nine months full-time,” she said.

Torres described Sully by saying, “He was our COVID dog. He definitely kept things lighter at home and he provided us with a little laugh. He took the edge off during COVID.” Torres was also able to bring Sully to Assumption when the University allowed employees to return to campus, and he would go with her to get COVID tests during the week and became known around campus.

Torres has been an influential figure to NEADS. She has become one of the organization’s most efficient and effective volunteers and has been able to help them successfully match dogs with clients. Sullivan said of Torres, “I think the best thing about her is she keeps the purpose in her mind, always, and the purpose of raising is to get a dog to help someone and eventually be matched with a client.”

Torres’s work at Assumption has also become a full-circle experience. After getting a degree here and now working as an Administrative Assistant, she brings her dogs that she is raising with NEADS to campus. “I do frequently come to campus [with the dogs] because there are a lot of good exposures here,” said Torres. Herrera Soto, who spends a lot of time in Torres’ office, said, “Whenever she has a dog, it’s such a joy that it brings to the office and it always makes my day because I miss my dogs at home too…Assumption is lucky to have her and I’m so happy to have met her,” she said.

Alison Blair, a fourth-year student at Assumption who is an intern in the office suite in the Office of Student Affairs, has gotten to know Torres quite well and has seen the positive impacts she has had at Assumption and the greater Worcester Community. “The work that Brenda does through the Office of Student Affairs and Student Success has facilitated a cheerful and supportive environment for students in the Assumption community. She is incredibly approachable and personable. She is an asset to the University with whom students can discuss different aspects of campus life and confide in,” she said.

Torres has also inspired those around her through her work with NEADS. “The work that she does with these dogs allows them greater socialization beyond the prisons in which they train and work. I truly do not think that I can imagine anyone else who would be better suited in this role than Brenda,” Blair said.

Torres is making a difference in our world. With the ever-changing society and the challenges people face daily, it is clear that her work with service dogs is making an impact on so many people in our society. “It [has] turned into so much more than I ever dreamed it could be,” Torres said.

Online Editor

Every year in the fall, Assumption faculty and staff gather together, but not just to teach classes. Instead, they go to Noonday Farm, where they spend a day harvesting produce to donate to local food banks. “It’s a great opportunity for people to get to know each other,” said David Crowley, who helps run the retreat.

David Crowley is an active member of the Assumption community of almost 20 years. At Assumption, he currently balances being a professor of biology, the d’Alzon Chair, the Associate Director of the Center for Purpose and Vocation, and the Director of the ASPIRE program on campus. “[Assumption] let me have a career that has evolved into something I never would have imagined, but I’ve never felt restricted,” he said.

Before becoming a professor at Assumption, he received his B.A. in Biology from the College of the Holy Cross and his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Crowley later earned his M.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Anna Maria College.

Crowley was inspired by his own professors to become one himself. “Watching my own college professors help me was a big draw,” he said. “I found that kind of help really jazzed me up.”

With working at Assumption, Crowley finds that the liberal arts education has offered him a different perspective. “I think what we do here at Assumption is great because it confronts students with really big questions.”

At Assumption, Crowley has made it his mission to promote wonder inside and out of the classroom. “This whole year I’ve dedicated to the topic of wonder,” he said. “What does it mean to awaken wonder in students? What does it mean to awaken wonder in ourselves?”

In his classes, Crowley gets to connect to his students through working in the lab, which he feels is one of the biggest advantages of being a science professor. “There’s so much we don’t know,” he said. “And when we kindle that intellectual humility in the lab, students get their wonder awakened.”

While working in the lab with students, Crowley feels as though he has a “great advantage” of becoming a strong advocate and ally for his students. Through his labs, he gets to build relationships with students by getting to know their interests, strengths, and weaknesses.

Serving as the d’Alzon Chair brings different responsibilities for Crowley. “As the d’Alzon chair, I am thinking about what kinds of things I can do to help faculty better understand our mission,” he said. “We have a series called Tapping into the Mission, where faculty and staff gather together to talk about wonder and what that means for different faculty members.”

One way that Crowley promotes the mission among the faculty is the Wonder Walk. The Wonder Walk is when a member of the faculty leads a walk to show others aspects of Assumption’s campus and explains them deeper, showing its history, importance, and why it is “uniquely” Assumption. “It’s been cool to see the campus from the eyes of someone else,” he said. “That’s the goal of the Wonder Walk.”

Karolina Fučíková, a professor at Assumption, was one of the many faculty members who led the Wonder Walk. Fučíková’s walk specifically focused on the biodiversity of plants and animals on campus. “I think the walks in general are really important because we don’t have a lot of opportunities to get together casually,” she said. “The more people are aware [of biodiversity], the more we can do to protect it.”

As the Associate Director of the Center for Purpose and Vocation alongside Esteban Loustaunau, Crowley runs the Joy Lunch. “The basic premise of the Joy Lunch is to get people together talking about what they love about their work,” he said. In this event, faculty and staff are invited with a topic of conversation to see the “big picture” beyond the daily grind of work.

Usually, the topic of the Joy Lunch will be a virtue. At one of the most recent Joy Lunches, the topic was hospitality. One of the main goals of this event is to help others reconnect with their larger sense of purpose regarding their jobs, which has resulted in a positive experience for all members of Assumption faculty and staff.

“We’re trying to run these lunches to remind people about what they love about their work,” Crowley said. “And so that when they leave the lunch, they feel a little bit more joyful than when they came.”

Crowley is also involved with the SOPHIA (Sophomore Initiative at Assumption) program, helping through the Center of Purpose and Vocation work. The SOPHIA program has been in place for ten years, helping a small group of sophomores think about their callings and how they want to serve their community. “It’s a year of discovery of who you are,” he said.

With SOPHIA, Crowley also gets to work with Loustaunau, the Director of the program, as well. “We attack problems together and try to solve them from different perspectives, and I think that is what makes us work really well,” Loustaunau said. “We come from different perspectives, and it doesn’t take us long to reach consensus because we both have the same goals in mind.”

Loustaunau sees Crowley as a “driving force” of what he presents to students at Assumption. “He’s committed to Assumption and committed to the students,” he said.

Crowley is also the Director of the ASPIRE (Alumni-Student Partnerships in Reflective Engagement) program, which builds off of the SOPHIA program. The ASPIRE program is directed towards juniors and seniors to create “reflective engagement” between current students and alumni.

As the director of the ASPIRE program on Assumption’s campus, Crowley helps alumni and students work together to navigate life after college and the challenges that can be faced, whether it be finding friends, building a career, or paying bills. “It’s a really cool thing [The ASPIRE Program] because we’re providing meaningful engagement for alumni that benefits the students,” he said.

Even though Crowley has been a part of the Assumption faculty for almost 20 years, he still finds ways to awaken wonder within himself through the community. “There’s new interesting people joining this community all the time,” he said. “I get to work with them and help them discover a little bit more about themselves.”

At Assumption, Crowley continues to promote wonder and joy in students, faculty, and staff. His impact is felt throughout the community, from answering questions in the lab to running reflection days at Noonday Farm. “It feels like worthwhile work,” he said. “I enjoy helping people feel a greater sense of belonging to this community.”