Kaitlin Ramsey is a University of Notre Dame grad from Minneapolis.

It’s back to the city for Kaitlin Ramsey after completing her first year as a Providence Volunteer Minister (PVM) teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to migrant farm worker families in the California desert and has began her second year volunteering in Chicago.

She’ll spend the next year giving service at 8th Day Center for Justice, a coalition of Catholic, religious congregations, committed to act as a critical alternative voice to oppressive systems and to work actively to change those systems.

“I’m looking forward to doing some indirect service,” Kaitlin said. “To not be directly in the field, as an anthropologist would put it, but to be looking at the system and getting the chance to do the research that teaches you what’s working and what’s not working in the system.”

She’s grateful for the gift of experiencing a second year as a PVM.

“When I first came in as a PVM I didn’t know the sisters and I didn’t know PVM itself, so I was unsure there,” she said. “I had taught ESL for a year, so while I had hoped to grow more as a teacher, for the most part, I felt confident in my ability to teach. This year I know the sisters and their spirituality and this program and what to expect, for the most part, but the actual work I’m doing I don’t know whether I can do it.”

Daily research is new to her.

“I haven’t ever really been tested in an organization who’s intentions are to make connections between groups of people,” Kaitlin said. “I’m really grateful that I have this opportunity to challenge myself with something new.”

Kaitlin, of Minneapolis, is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a degree in anthropology. She is excited to be in Chicago this year where she can people watch, walk to destinations and enjoy local coffee shops and eclectic stores.

Below are photos from the day Kaitlin was commissioned as a PVM at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.