Page 44 - Salesianum - Winter 2019

FEATURE
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT — CHRIS REYNOLDS ’14
Did you always aspire to be involved in, and have the aptitude for, research and medicine? Or did this passion grow from a particular experience? And likewise, when did theology become an interest?
“As a kid, I never really excelled at one thing, but enjoyed having many interests to keep myself busy. I would not say that I have an innate aptitude for medicine or research. However, I’ve always had an interest and innate commitment to striving for justice and caring
for others. I’ve come to
view medicine and public
health research as the most
appropriate way to use
my gifts to advance that
mission. This commitment
surfaced when I was 13,
when my uncle invited
me to a homeless outreach
in Philadelphia. Visiting
persons on the street to
offer clothing, food and
other supplies that cold January night, I found that more important than the supplies we were providing was
the opportunity to listen to the stories of these persons and share in their lives in a small way. I learned about
the stigma associated with homelessness and how the constant reality of being ignored and ostracized that
these people confront daily can affect not only health,
but all dimensions of a person. I would later come to understand the experience that night as a small example of accompaniment, a principle which has come to guide my work and motivation for medicine. As I learned about medicine and public health, I understood the combination of both as an excellent avenue to not only connect with others on a personal level and provide care in a tangible way, but also address structural violence and injustice through intervention-focused research and advocacy.
Peter Julian
I have been Catholic
my entire life. However, the point at which my faith transformed into something integral to
my identity was through Mr. Menicucci’s Morality and Social Justice course in my junior year at Salesianum. There, I found a synergy between all my emotions associated with caring for vulnerable and disadvantaged persons from personal experience, and the language through ethics to express the importance of this work and my motivation
to make change in an intellectual way. Faith through action has always been important to me,
42 DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN | Winter 2019
but the aspects of this course put into words the vocation
I had felt in my heart for many years. This affirmed for
me that my faith is lived out in actions and the way one chooses to live an attitude which has dictated all my major life decisions in the past six years. This passion led to my studying Theology alongside Biochemistry in college, with a focus on bioethics and global health practice. I see both areas of study as completely complementary. Not only
to understand better the humanity of a patient when I’m providing care one day as a physician, but also to have the skills to logically examine structural health injustice and motivate others to join in this great work. Studying theology has also been an integral part of my personal identity, allowing me to affirm values of accompaniment, a preferential option for the poor, and solidarity, while developing critical thinking capacity to genuinely question unjust systems, including the faith itself.”