The Real World: Sign Me Up!

Our PULSE blogger for this week is #MP2's own DeMarcus, who hails from St. Louis, Missouri. DeMarcus' volunteer placement is with Chaminade-Julienne High School. He shares his thoughts on the changes his life has taken since saying "Yes" to a year of service with Marianist PULSE:

My experience with PULSE will be one to remember. Before arriving here, I was calling my future experience “The Real World: Dayton.” After discovering that I would be living in community with several other people, I started to think, "Reality TV!" The concept of moving to a new city, living with people that weren’t familiar, and creating our own experiences with each other and individually—sign me up! While it all sounded fun and exciting, I knew that PULSE was something bigger than MTV and its reality show series. For me it was about reconnecting with the Marianist charism.

Having gone to St. Mary’s High School (a Marianist sponsored school in St. Louis) I’ve learned a lot about “community.” Attending Marianist LIFE in Dayton, I was exposed to what it means to be part of the Marianist Family and extending the circle so there’s room for others at the table. Marianist LIFE (Living In Faith Experience) is a national faith-formation program rooted in Catholic and Marianist tradition and targeted to the needs of high school students: www.marianist.com/life


The Characteristics of Marianist Education prepared me for college where people often weren’t seeking a “family” to walk with them. For me, that was a foreign concept because who doesn’t want the feeling of belonging? Throughout college, I continued to build community with my friends and any student organization I joined.


On July 30th, 2017 I packed my bags and headed from St. Louis, MO to Dayton, OH. When I arrived at the airport, I was greeted with the familiar face of Bro. Mark Motz S.M. We were able to reconnect and give each other Marianist LIFE updates. Brother Mark was an adult facilitator during my LIFE Week.

Bro. Mark and I toured the city before I was dropped off at one of the PULSE community houses where I met the rest of MP2! I was a little overwhelmed at first by the hugs and warm greetings but in the midst of it all, I was able to point out two recognizable faces, Kateri and Peter. The three of us had originally met at Marianist LIFE 2011 and I remain glad we’re experiencing this journey together. 


My PULSE overall experience has been unique. I've learned how to be a better friend, a better listener, how to be present in the moment to people I'm serving and to the people with whom I'm journeying through this experience. We have offered a year of our personal lives to uproot and move somewhere different to serve the common good. It is also nice to know that with all of the things we're going through personally, that we are not alone and that there are people who care for and about us.

These Marianist roots run deep and our real world needs our charism. Sign us up!