Calvin Bradley Jr.

MY GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: As pediatric chaplain, I journey with patients and families through some of the most critical times of their lives, providing them with spiritual and emotional support. I serve a large patient population ranging from expectant mothers to young adults trying to navigate college or their first job while battling a chronic illness. Sometimes parents need a sounding board, a judgement-free place to vent, or a place to cry out of sight of their child, and I get to provide, and oftentimes be that space for them. Part of my responsibility is to also provide care and support to the staff, because caring for others can be overwhelming, especially in high-stress situations. Prior to becoming chaplain, I served as an after-school site coordinator for a middle-school program serving primarily African-American and Latino youth. Unlike many programs of its kind that are geared toward inner-city settings, this program was geared toward youth from low- economic rural communities, who were low- to average-performing students academically, and some who had disciplinary challenges. The key is to discover what each child is most passionate about or what things they did really well, and work with those things to help make them successful in other areas. Oftentimes, simply affirming and encouraging students in their gifts made a huge difference.

HOW DREXEL HELPED: Drexel propelled me to think more holistically and systemically about how I assess the situations being faced by the youth and families I serve. Drexel also helped to sharpen my skills for program development and project management.

MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: I will soon complete my PhD in conflict analysis and resolution from Nova Southeastern University. While I look forward to further advancing my career in health care, personal and relational connections with patients and families will always be my passion.