From Jesuit university to Good Shepherd Volunteers | Alumni Interview

This reflection comes from an interview with GSV alum Peter Markovics. Peter served from 2003-2004 at Red Hook Community Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Peter Markovics (front row, right end, red shirt) and the 2003-2004 Good Shepherd Volunteer community.

Originally born and raised in Albany, New York, I left Albany after high school to attend Boston College (BC). I graduated from BC with a degree in history and became a Good Shepherd Volunteer. My placement was at the Red Hook Community Center in Brooklyn. From there, I worked for two other non-profit agencies in the youth development field before landing as a teacher in the New York City Department of Education, where I taught for 10 years. After teaching, I moved to Los Angeles to become a school administrator, including work as an assistant principal and principal of a high school. I also worked for a school district as a special education administrator. I am currently an assistant principal at a high school in Los Angeles.

I chose to become a Good Shepherd Volunteer because I believed in the vision and mission of the organization. I wanted to be involved in a community-based group after college and GSV provided me with an opportunity to not only work in the community but to also live in community with other volunteers.

The year at BC was complemented by studies at BC because as a Jesuit school, BC emphasized service-based ministry and community-focused religious practices. While at BC, I was able to fulfill my religious studies requirement through participation in a volunteer program that was run in conjunction with the college and a local community center. I also participated in two service trips to other countries during my time at BC.

Being a Good Shepherd Volunteer helped me in my professional pursuits in the way that I learned how to work with multiple stakeholders in a community and to do so with care, compassion, empathy, and support. The values of GSV helped me to become a better team member at each of the sites where I have worked.

A moment that stands out from my time at GSV is actually a series of moments that took place during retreats in Nyack, New York. The retreats provided us with an opportunity to interact with other volunteers and reflect on our work and practices. The retreats were a form of community that helped remind me of why being a Good Shepherd Volunteer mattered and what roles that volunteers could play in each of the communities in which they worked.

Peter (center, white shirt) and the 2003-2004 community pose with Sr. Maureen McGowan (back row, far left), founder of GSV.

Peter Markovics GSV @ Red Hook Community Center,

Brooklyn, New York (2003-2004)