Spotlight

Year: Junior
Major: Theology and Philosophy
Minor: Catholic Studies
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
High School: Holy Names Academy

Organizations or activities: Residents Hall Association Vice President, Students for Human Life, Volunteers in Action at Boys and Girls Club, Lay Ministry Internship, and Philosophy Tutor.

What do you like to do in your spare time? Read, watch movies, catch up with friends, anything that is leisurely and uses a different part of my brain than school or work.

Anticipated career after college: Director of Religious Education in a Catholic parish. I also hope to attend graduate school in order to obtain a Masters of Divinity degree.

Why did you come to UST?
My freshman and sophomore high school theology teacher was a former seminarian at St. Thomas. His religious devotion and superb theological teaching inspired me to become better educated about the Catholic Church and begin practicing my faith; he later became my confirmation sponsor. He recommended St. Thomas based on my desire to pursue theology and philosophy at a Catholic university, and because of his profound influence on my life, I gladly accepted the recommendation. In addition, I have always viewed college as the perfect opportunity to experience living in a different region of the country, and I had never spent any time in the Midwest before coming to UST.

What does it mean to you to be selected as an Aquinas Fellow?
Being selected to be an Aquinas Fellow is intimidating to say the least. I recently read the letter that was sent to my parents telling them of this honor, and within the letter there was a quote from my application essay that I had forgotten about. The quote said something to the effect of: “the desire for monetary gain interferes with people following their vocation, because, as most people will tell you, vocations are rarely lucrative.” Reading what I had written at that time was rather poignant, because I had just been struggling with whether or not I could answer my call because of its economic implications. To be chosen as an Aquinas Fellow means to me, to put it simply, a push in the right direction. I believe that God has given me a call to church work, but it is one that I have often struggled with and sometimes against. I feel so blessed that I was nominated and recognized for attempting to follow that vocation, but also humbled that I was chosen for this honor while I still struggle with the decision of how to answer my call. I hope that becoming an Aquinas Fellow will be another step in the right direction in my vocation discernment process, and I am grateful for the help in continuing to pursue my vocation.

What has been your most valuable experience at UST?
I would have to say that my most valuable experience at St Thomas was my entire first semester of school. I came in with an idea of what I wanted to study, theology and philosophy, but there is never any guarantee that the major you come to school wanting to pursue will be the major that you graduate with. I had theology in high school, so I was fairly confident in that choice, but my interest in philosophy was simply based on a recommendation by a teacher to couple philosophy with theology. I enjoyed both my freshman theology and philosophy classes, which were paired together, and my philosophy teacher instilled in me what I believe will be a life-long love of philosophy. Without those experiences, or if I had disliked those classes, I would not be pursuing what I now believe to be my vocation of church work.

How will being an Aquinas Fellow help you discern and work towards your vocation?
Being an Aquinas Fellow puts me in company with some amazing individuals who are so faithfully and diligently pursuing their own vocations. As Aquinas Fellows, we are called on to be examples of vocation for other students on campus, but I also believe that the other Aquinas Fellows will be an example to me. By talking and sharing with them, I hope to learn from their experiences in their own discernment processes, both good and bad. Discernment is as much about deciding what one does not want to do, as it is about deciding what one does want to do and that is not a process that can be accomplished alone. I am looking forward to the support and friendship of the Aquinas Fellows while we all work through this sometimes difficult process.

What advice would you give a student about discerning their vocation?
The advice that I would give to other students about discerning their vocation is that vocations are not always about what is fun or lucrative or popular or easy. Vocations are about using God-given talents to their best and fullest advantage. A vocation is a pull to do something, which, while it may be subtle at times, is undeniable and impossible to ignore, once it is discovered, without serious personal consequences. Listen to that pull, because, as I say with personal experience, resisting is pointless and accepting it brings incomparable peace and joy even if it does not bring an easy life path.

Aquinas Fellowship Recipients
VIEW OTHER SPOTLIGHTS	Erin Lyle Aquinas Fellow
	Year: Junior Major: Theology and Philosophy Minor: Catholic Studies Hometown: Seattle, Washington High School: Holy Names Academy Organizations or activities: Residents Hall Association Vice President, Students for Human Life, Volunteers in Action at Boys and Girls Club, Lay Ministry Internship, and Philosophy Tutor. What do you like to do in your spare time? Read, watch movies, catch up with friends, anything that is leisurely and uses a different part of my brain than school or work. Anticipated career after college: Director of Religious Education in a Catholic parish. I also hope to attend graduate school in order to obtain a Masters of Divinity degree. Why did you come to UST? My freshman and sophomore high school theology teacher was a former seminarian at St. Thomas. His religious devotion and superb theological teaching inspired me to become better educated about the Catholic Church and begin practicing my faith; he later became my confirmation sponsor. He recommended St. Thomas based on my desire to pursue theology and philosophy at a Catholic university, and because of his profound influence on my life, I gladly accepted the recommendation. In addition, I have always viewed college as the perfect opportunity to experience living in a different region of the country, and I had never spent any time in the Midwest before coming to UST. What does it mean to you to be selected as an Aquinas Fellow? Being selected to be an Aquinas Fellow is intimidating to say the least. I recently read the letter that was sent to my parents telling them of this honor, and within the letter there was a quote from my application essay that I had forgotten about. The quote said something to the effect of: “the desire for monetary gain interferes with people following their vocation, because, as most people will tell you, vocations are rarely lucrative.” Reading what I had written at that time was rather poignant, because I had just been struggling with whether or not I could answer my call because of its economic implications. To be chosen as an Aquinas Fellow means to me, to put it simply, a push in the right direction. I believe that God has given me a call to church work, but it is one that I have often struggled with and sometimes against. I feel so blessed that I was nominated and recognized for attempting to follow that vocation, but also humbled that I was chosen for this honor while I still struggle with the decision of how to answer my call. I hope that becoming an Aquinas Fellow will be another step in the right direction in my vocation discernment process, and I am grateful for the help in continuing to pursue my vocation. What has been your most valuable experience at UST? I would have to say that my most valuable experience at St Thomas was my entire first semester of school. I came in with an idea of what I wanted to study, theology and philosophy, but there is never any guarantee that the major you come to school wanting to pursue will be the major that you graduate with. I had theology in high school, so I was fairly confident in that choice, but my interest in philosophy was simply based on a recommendation by a teacher to couple philosophy with theology. I enjoyed both my freshman theology and philosophy classes, which were paired together, and my philosophy teacher instilled in me what I believe will be a life-long love of philosophy. Without those experiences, or if I had disliked those classes, I would not be pursuing what I now believe to be my vocation of church work. How will being an Aquinas Fellow help you discern and work towards your vocation? Being an Aquinas Fellow puts me in company with some amazing individuals who are so faithfully and diligently pursuing their own vocations. As Aquinas Fellows, we are called on to be examples of vocation for other students on campus, but I also believe that the other Aquinas Fellows will be an example to me. By talking and sharing with them, I hope to learn from their experiences in their own discernment processes, both good and bad. Discernment is as much about deciding what one does not want to do, as it is about deciding what one does want to do and that is not a process that can be accomplished alone. I am looking forward to the support and friendship of the Aquinas Fellows while we all work through this sometimes difficult process. What advice would you give a student about discerning their vocation? The advice that I would give to other students about discerning their vocation is that vocations are not always about what is fun or lucrative or popular or easy. Vocations are about using God-given talents to their best and fullest advantage. A vocation is a pull to do something, which, while it may be subtle at times, is undeniable and impossible to ignore, once it is discovered, without serious personal consequences. Listen to that pull, because, as I say with personal experience, resisting is pointless and accepting it brings incomparable peace and joy even if it does not bring an easy life path.