Paying it Forward
Susan visiting the Lincoln Memorial in DC
Susan Blake’s Service Story
By Cora Davis, Communications Director
Susan chose to take what she calls a “reverse gap year” in August of 2007. She packed up her life in Massachusetts and moved to a city she had only ever seen on postcards and TV: Washington, D.C., for a year of service with Notre Dame Mission Volunteers.
Rather than taking time off between undergrad and graduate school, she chose to serve after earning her Master’s degree. At the same time, many of her peers were launching their careers. Even though it was against the grain, she didn’t ignore the call she felt to serve others.
During Susan’s senior year at Emmanuel College, she had a conversation with Sister Sissy, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. During mass one morning, Sister Sissy told Susan all about NDMV, and Susan knew she had to be a part of the mission. “Serving with NDMV gave me an opportunity to serve alongside [the sisters],” she said with a smile.
She was lucky, she says, that her service site, Mary House, provided housing to volunteers. Living in community with other NDMV volunteers leveled the playing field. Most of us were moving to a new place and found camaraderie in embracing the newness together.
Susan had never lived away from home like that before—the house offered both challenge and comfort. "I'd never cooked for myself at that point. It was an opportunity to live on my own with some security to it and support,” she remembers. Being surrounded by her teammates and community inspired Susan to have the confidence to show up and support others at her service site.
In some ways, the service Susan provided made her feel close to home. Her placement in D.C. primarily served immigrant families just like the one Susan grew up in. Susan’s parents immigrated to the US from Portugal. She remembers growing up utilizing local services. She was humbled to find herself on the other side of the desk, advocating for families navigating unfamiliar systems.
Susan and friends during her service year.
During her service year, she helped children transition between schools and even assisted a mother whose daughter had health issues by getting them to medical appointments. As a 23-year-old, she was helping parents advocate for their children—learning life skills right alongside the families she served.
From supporting immigrant families during the week to making sandwiches for the unhoused in her free time, Susan learned valuable life lessons from her service experience that she takes with her into everyday life today:
It doesn’t take much to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Poverty can be uncomfortable to look at. It may be hard to face, but you have to face it in order to support people who are living in poverty.
It is possible to both recognize your own privileges and not try to be the savior.
Acknowledging someone, by simply saying “hello”, can be a way to serve them.
Along with key life lessons, Susan’s service helped prepare her to be a mom by giving her more confidence about working with kids. She says, “In hindsight, I'm glad I had that experience in my early twenties. It’s an experience I often talk to my son about in hopes of instilling some of these themes into him. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had!”
Right after Susan's year of service, she began working at Emmanuel College, a school founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, and has been there ever since. She currently serves as the Senior Academic Advisor at Emmanuel, where she has the opportunity to share her service experience with students who are standing at the same crossroads she once was.
But the full-circle moment didn't belong to Susan alone. When her year of service came to an end, her parents drove down to bring her home—and in doing so, set foot in the nation's capital for the very first time. For a family who had immigrated to this country and once relied on the very kinds of services similar to what Susan had spent a year providing, standing together in Washington, D.C. carried a significance that went beyond words. It was a testament to how far they had come—and to everything Susan's journey had made possible.
Susan and her parents in front of the White House.
