The power of a handwritten letter
Named Marquette’s first-ever James Foley Endowed Scholarship recipient in 2015, Jacob Zelinski is on the cusp of graduation. In a speech to scholarship recipients and benefactors, he discussed his “heart ablaze for justice” and his future path.
When a handwritten letter arrived at my home four years ago congratulating me on being the first recipient of the first-ever James Foley Endowed Scholarship Fund, I had no idea that the news would forever inform how I’d live my life. James Foley, Marquette alumnus, friend, brother, son, war journalist and ISIS victim, my scholarship namesake, my hero, and the reason I am standing before you all today, living witness to the power of a Marquette, Jesuit, education.
Good evening, everyone. My name is Jacob Zelinski and I am a senior in the Diederich College of Communication and Klingler College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Public Relations and Writing-Intensive English.
I followed my two older brothers to Marquette. They both studied biomedical sciences and had a strong inclination for what they wanted to do post-graduation, even when they were 18-years-old.
I, on the other hand, had no idea what I wanted to do after graduation.
Yet, Marquette gave me the space to explore who I was — and am — spiritually, academically, professionally and personally.
Cura Personalis — care for the whole person — is what first comes to mind when I think of my Marquette journey — a journey that has taken me through many major changes, to Cape Town, South Africa, for a 20-week study abroad program, to New Orleans and to Oglala, South Dakota, to New York and Seattle and back again… What a journey it’s been, and how fortunate I am to have felt supported and encouraged every step of the way by not only my peers, but by all of my advisers and professors, too. Marquette afforded me the opportunities and encouragement to discover who I am and where my passions lie.
And this is all because of the scholarship I received. I’m sure many of my peers in this room will agree with me when I say that my scholarship is the reason I am at Marquette.
It is not some small aid — it is a massive grace.
A grace I’ll never be able to repay, but one that I will never stop being grateful for, and one that I will never stop repaying in my words, work, and actions.
I’m still figuring out who I am and what I want to do with my life, it’s true. I did not figure it out in four years… shocker, right? Yet, I am so in love with the path I’m on. That’s why I’m heading back to school after graduation. And, no, not grad school. High school. To join the alumni volunteer corps at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School.
I trust, with a heart ablaze for justice, that I am well on my way to where I’m meant to be: Forever grateful for the privilege of my Marquette experience and constantly searching for opportunities to set the world on fire with all the lessons and love I’ve picked up along the way, all thanks to the generosity of my benefactors, two of which I’d like to give a special thank you to today: Jim’s brother, Mike, and his best friend, Tom Durkin, who are here with me today, celebrating Jim, the power of a Jesuit education, and all the benefactors in this room who believe in Marquette students.
Thank you for inspiring us to Be The Difference.
