Most graduating high school seniors don’t expect to be back at their alma mater anytime soon. That was not the case for Michaele “Mickey” Townsend, a 2018 graduate of DePaul Cristo Rey High School (DPCR) in Cincinnati, who returned to her alma mater to serve as the new Campus Minister.

DPCR, one of Cincinnati’s newest Catholic high schools (2011), counts three alumni on their staff: Townsend, Student Activities Coordinator Brandon Ford, and Admissions/Financial Aid Coordinator Jasmin Luna-Villa.

Townsend made the most of her time as a student at DPCR, including in athletics, particularly basketball and volleyball, but also with service outside of school. She shared that her high school “helped foster that drive and passion for the service.”

The passion to serve continued while Townsend attended Xavier University, where impactful internships prompted her to consider work in ministry. “I interned at the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development,” she said. “I loved my AOC experience and what I was doing there, so I returned [to the internship] my senior year.

“[I] got an internship at Bellarmine Chapel as their Social Mission Intern [where] I sat on various committees, such as anti-racism, all abilities and immigration. I also worked with Bellarmine’s youth group [from which] my passion and desire to work in Catholic Schools sparked.”

She considered several career-starting options, but Townsend said, “Whether working in a school or elsewhere, I wanted my faith to be central to everything I did.” When back at DPCR as a guest speaker during her college senior year, she was inspired to return to her former school to work.

“At the time, the Campus Ministry position at DPCR was filled,” she said. “However, after … meeting DPCR’s President, Siobhan Taylor, and other members of the DPCR community, a desire to return … came about.”

Now in her first year as DPCR’s Campus Minister, Townsend said she is focused on making a difference. “I want to learn about the community and culture and then work with the students to build and develop a ministry  program surrounding their needs,” she said. “I primarily want to strengthen the community by being intentional with every event [and] project and the programming I do this year in Campus Ministry.”

Townsend added, “DPCR does a great job at identifying each student’s needs and ensuring those needs are met!  I am forever grateful for DPCR. This … was another main reason for coming back. I want to give back to a community that has taught and helped me so much!”

For those considering involvement with campus ministry, Townsend offered this advice: “Being involved in campus ministry is extremely rewarding; I think anyone working in schools would agree that being around young people is rewarding. But being able to talk about God and your faith in the most real ways is amazing. Being a campus minister and listening to the stories and experiences my students have shared is inspiring. Taking kids on Kairos [retreats,] listening to what they share with their class [and] having students wanting to be leaders during Mass and prayer services [are] what I love about the job.”

This article appeared in the October 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.