Graduating Students Share Their Spiritual Journey
Marsh Chapel’s annual “This I Believe” Sunday
Svea Schreiner (SED’17) (from left), Kasey Shultz (CAS’17), Adrienne Lotoski (MET’14,’17), Magdalena Buczek (MED’17), and Ian Quillen (CAS’17) reflected on their spiritual journeys during Marsh Chapel’s “This I Believe” Sunday on May 14. Each year, a group of graduating students shares stories of faith on the Sunday before Commencement.
Several soon-to-be-graduates shared personal reflections on their spiritual journeys at BU last Sunday at Marsh Chapel’s annual “This I Believe” Sunday.
Each year, graduating students from any University school or college and from any faith tradition (or no faith tradition) are invited to address the Marsh congregation on the Sunday before Commencement.
The tradition, which began in 1982, was originally designed to give students active in the Marsh Chapel community an opportunity to publicly share the ways their spiritual life has been shaped during their time at BU.
The students selected to speak this year come from four BU schools. Magdalena Buczek (MED’17) is graduating with a master’s degree from the School of Medicine’s Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. She is applying to medical school and hopes to work with homeless and incarcerated patients. Adrienne Lotoski (MET’14,’17), a Development & Alumni Relations associate director of stewardship and donor relations, is graduating with a master’s degree in arts administration. Ian Quillen (CAS’17) plans to pursue a master’s degree in speech pathology at Vanderbilt University after graduating with a BA in neuroscience on May 21. Svea Schreiner (SED’17), who is graduating with a master’s degree, plans to return to teaching high school English in New Hampshire in the fall after a stint working in an impoverished community in Appalachia. Kasey Shultz (CAS’17), a Kilachand Honors College student majoring in anthropology, will volunteer after graduation as a bilingual immigrant youth advocate at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps.
managing anxiety
“I was overwhelmed with work and emotions, and so I invited God to be beside me one moment, one hour, and one day at a time.”
Magdalena BuczekRead transcript
Audio — 3 Minutes, 44 Secondsthis I believe
“I believe in respect. I believe that each and every one of us is to be respected for our beliefs, including those that are religious, political, scientific, or sociological.”
Adrienne LotoskiRead transcript
Audio — 3 Minutes, 12 Secondsa hearth
“Marsh Chapel has been described as a heart for the heart of the city and the service in the service of the city. I would take the first part of this phrase and add an “h” to the word heart.”
Ian QuillenRead transcript
Audio — 3 Minutes, 6 SecondsDifferent and the Same
“There is no one label that can possibly encapsulate all of the beauty and joy and pain of a person’s life. Everybody has a story.”
Svea SchreinerRead transcript
Audio — 3 Minutes, 23 Secondscommunity of believers
“I was challenged to define my faith, and to lay out a vision of what I believe—my own personal credo.”
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