‘College Grandmas’: Adopt-A-Sister Continues on Campus

“Some of the Sisters refer to themselves as ‘college grandmas,’ which I think is a good way to describe it,” said Keegan Pabst, co-chair of Adopt-A-Sister, when describing the program.

On Sept. 18, Adopt-A-Sister, a student organization on campus, had its first meeting where the students and Sisters joined together for a Pairing Party. Each student drew a name out of a bag which revealed the name of the Adrian Dominican Sister they would be paired with for the entire year.

“I would say the Pairing Party was a huge success! I mean, not much can go wrong with lemonade and cookies, but you really can’t put a price on building connections,” said Pabst.

It is up to the pair on how often they want to meet, but according to Sr. Joan, coordinator of the program at the Motherhouse, most students and Sisters meet up for lunch over at the Motherhouse.

“The students don’t have to worry about paying, because they are a guest,” said Sr. Joan, one of the Sisters who works with the students to make this program a success.

One of the best things about this program is that the students are able to participate in dialogue about the history of the Sisters, while also enlightening them about the day-to-day life of being a college student.

“The Adrian Dominican Sisters are very highly educated and are always up-to-date on what is going on around the country and around the world. Not only are they knowledgeable, but they are also active in combating the injustices that plague the world. I think that students can get so busy and wrapped up in their studies that it becomes easy to forget about the world around them. The learning that takes place through this program goes both ways. The Adrian Dominican Sisters, as founders and sponsors of SHU, get to hear about student trials and successes. When stories are shared, there is always something that can be learned,” said Pabst.

Pabst said she has a passion for this program, and one of her goals for this year is to see more student/Sister pairs attend more events together, whether that be on the SHU campus or the Motherhouse campus.

Even if you are not paired with an Adrian Dominican Sister, students, staff, faculty and community members are encouraged to stop on over for a visit.