Defining Men and Women for Others

Being a student-athlete at Boston College is a unique experience because of what it blends. Athletically, teams compete among the very best NCAA programs. Academically, Eagles compete among the smartest and brightest of the world. It's a celebrated fact: the way for the BC student-athletes succeed in a unique fashion.

It comprises a Jesuit tradition built on the school's motto of Ever to Excel. While there are academic and athletic achievements, the university stresses love for one another through service. By performing acts and deeds, those who represent the Maroon and Gold live up to its mission of "men and women for others."

Ryan Little, a rising junior on the women's hockey team, is spending her summer as maybe the best example of that mission. A Vermont native, she's spending her time away from school in Kansas City, Missouri, working with Journey to New Life, a home and program designed to help convicted women with their reentry to the world from incarceration.

"It's like a halfway house, but we don't consider ourselves a halfway house," Little said. "It's for women who have just gotten out of jail. They're taken (into the home) after incarceration and the program calls for them to stay for 90 days. Once their 90 days are up, the program helps them find and pay for new housing."

Founded in 2013, Journey to New Life works to bridge the gap between incarceration and return to mainstream society. It identified the challenge of what happens when inmates are released and how they struggle when outside a prison's structure. By providing people with food, shelter, cell phones, clothes and potential treatment for addiction or mental illness, it serves a vital role in the community.

In addition to helping the women in the house, Little volunteers in the Journey to New Life office twice per week for emergency assistance.

"Anyone who is homeless and a felon, even without an appointment, can come in for help," she said, stressing the requirement of a felony. "We will take them in and talk to them about what they need. We can help with things like clothes, shoes and personal hygiene. If they need bus passes, we can give them bus passes to get them wherever they need to go."

It's work that falls directly in line with Little's goals for her summer. She heard about the program through a great aunt, who is also a nun living in the home, and explored the possibility of volunteering.

"I was interested in doing something other than working out and playing hockey this summer," she said. "I really wanted to get real life experience. I wasn't ready for an internship and I really love helping people. So I decided that I wanted to go to this program to help people here as best as I can."

It's worked in a big way. By interviewing and meeting people in the program, Little is finding out more about the concept of service and community than she ever imagined. She's breaking the walls and barriers standing in society's view of convicted felons and she's helping people who live in some of the most vulnerable cross-sections and segments of society.

"The nuns all have a saying," she said. "These aren't bad people, but people make bad decisions. For me, that's huge. These women and even the men that I meet - they're good people and they want to improve their lives. They've just made mistakes and those mistakes are impacting their whole lives.

"Some of these people grew up in environments where doing drugs or alcohol with their parents was normal," she continued. "A lot of these people come from situations that kind of cause them to make bad decisions because they weren't looked as bad decisions. That's one of the biggest things that I've learned out here. And their lives are made so much harder than it should be because others can act like they are opposed to people convicted of felonies. That's been something that's really hit me."

It's a service bringing out the best parts of Kansas City. Coming from New England, Little is familiar with how people care about their communities, but in a completely different part of the country, it's reinforcing her best values.

"The people I've met are amazing people," she said. "They want to help in any way that they can. Everyone who works in the office is a volunteer for the most part. These people are just helping because they feel like they want to do something for the community."

By doing this work, Little represents the best of what Boston College has to offer. As a hockey athlete, she plays on arguably the nation's best program, a national powerhouse looking for its fifth consecutive Frozen Four appearance. As a student, she's continuing studies at a premier institution.

But through her service to others, she's fulfilling a personal affirmation.

"In my high school (at Shattuck-St. Mary's), we had days off from school so we could go volunteer in the community. I've always been a person who just enjoyed that experience. For me, one of the reasons I chose BC, besides hockey and academics, was how the school was dedicated to their service.

"Even now, everything (at BC) is about service to others," she said. "It's really great and it teaches a lot of people the importance of not taking life for granted. The situation where I'm working opened my eyes to what these people have to go through and how hard it is in their lives. When I get back to BC, I would love to help and maybe get a little bit more involved. I know there's a lot of time spent on hockey on other things, but I would love to take some time to stay involved and try to make more of an effort."

But through it all and true to her form as a Boston College student-athlete, she had to laugh and grant one admission.

"I'm really excited to get back on the ice," she said. "I'm itching to get back out there. That's all I think about sometimes. We have a great team, and we're going to have a good year."

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