Damien Sewell (AA ’22)
Damien Sewell (AA ’22, BA ’24)
Major: Criminal Justice
High School: Amundsen, 2020
Involvements: Dean's List, Pi Theta Kappa, Black Men for Success (BMS), vice president of Black Student Union (BSU), and an internship with the Illinois Comptroller's Office
Hello! My name is Damien Sewell. I'm here to tell you about my Arrupe College experience.
How I chose my major:
Growing up in the city of Chicago, I regarded those contributing to the establishment of law and order in society as superheroes, performing their duties with the promise of serving and protecting. As someone who possesses a firm belief in the necessity of law and order in society, practicing the law was something I envisioned myself doing as a career. This fueled my aspiration of one day becoming a federal prosecutor.
My plans after graduation:
I intend to maintain my interest in criminal justice, but I am starting to feel more drawn to philosophy, which serves as my second interest. Following my completion of several philosophy courses at Arrupe, I now consider myself as an individual who has an interest in the nature of legal philosophy and the way it contributes to advancing the purpose that law and order serve in society. I believe that the nature of my interest sufficiently explains why I intend to pursue both fields simultaneously. I am confident that I will soon come to learn that they will do well to expose me to both the practical and theoretical aspects of the law and how to understand it as a science of sorts. A science that has assisted me in developing a more thorough understanding of the nature of jurisprudence, or what I consider to be the intersection between philosophy and the science of the law. I have an interest in pursuing graduate school after acquiring both of my bachelor’s degrees. Obtaining a graduate’s degree has become one of my long-term goals in preparation for one day enrolling in law school. I am confident that my undergraduate studies will have provided me with an array of competencies required for furthering my education.
Professor a new student should absolutely take a class with:
I encourage incoming students to sign up for the criminal justice classes instructed by professor Brent In, as well as the philosophy courses instructed by professors Giancarlo Tarantino and Minerva Ahumada. Each of these instructors are distinct! Based on my personal experience taking professor In's criminal justice courses, I was captivated by his ability to efficiently introduce students to theories of crime, as well as the philosophical interpretations of reasonable responses to such theories. With regard to professor Tarantino's and Ahumada's philosophy courses, I admired the manner in which they were structured because a great deal of the discussions assisted students in acquiring deeper understanding of who they are, how to identify their purpose, and the various ways that we, as humans, perceive the world.
Class I never expected to love:
During the summer semester, Arrupe offered an elective philosophy course on healthcare ethics and its role in society. I had assumed that the course would include components from the philosophy of medicine, indicating it would have been tailored toward pre-med students. I was surprised by the professor's approach to introducing students to conceptions of what it means to "live well" and what it means to leave behind a life well lived when a person experiences death. I found much of the content interesting because I never gave much thought about such circumstances until enrolling in the course.
Best thing I've done since coming to Arrupe:
The best thing I did at Arrupe College was participating in the Ignatian Seminar: Finding Purpose and Identity—A Journey in the Spirit of Ignatius in Rome, Italy.
My favorite spot on campus:
I admired the Office of Student Success (OSS) the most because I often found myself having meaningful conversations with the faculty that were located there. It offered a very welcoming atmosphere for students.
Some surprisingly cool things about Arrupe:
One of the surprising cool things about Arrupe College is how the institution offers its students a sense of community for students. I would describe Arrupe as an anomaly among other forms of two-year educational institutions.
Damien Sewell (AA ’22, BA ’24)
Major: Criminal Justice
High School: Amundsen, 2020
Involvements: Dean's List, Pi Theta Kappa, Black Men for Success (BMS), vice president of Black Student Union (BSU), and an internship with the Illinois Comptroller's Office
Hello! My name is Damien Sewell. I'm here to tell you about my Arrupe College experience.
How I chose my major:
Growing up in the city of Chicago, I regarded those contributing to the establishment of law and order in society as superheroes, performing their duties with the promise of serving and protecting. As someone who possesses a firm belief in the necessity of law and order in society, practicing the law was something I envisioned myself doing as a career. This fueled my aspiration of one day becoming a federal prosecutor.
My plans after graduation:
I intend to maintain my interest in criminal justice, but I am starting to feel more drawn to philosophy, which serves as my second interest. Following my completion of several philosophy courses at Arrupe, I now consider myself as an individual who has an interest in the nature of legal philosophy and the way it contributes to advancing the purpose that law and order serve in society. I believe that the nature of my interest sufficiently explains why I intend to pursue both fields simultaneously. I am confident that I will soon come to learn that they will do well to expose me to both the practical and theoretical aspects of the law and how to understand it as a science of sorts. A science that has assisted me in developing a more thorough understanding of the nature of jurisprudence, or what I consider to be the intersection between philosophy and the science of the law. I have an interest in pursuing graduate school after acquiring both of my bachelor’s degrees. Obtaining a graduate’s degree has become one of my long-term goals in preparation for one day enrolling in law school. I am confident that my undergraduate studies will have provided me with an array of competencies required for furthering my education.
Professor a new student should absolutely take a class with:
I encourage incoming students to sign up for the criminal justice classes instructed by professor Brent In, as well as the philosophy courses instructed by professors Giancarlo Tarantino and Minerva Ahumada. Each of these instructors are distinct! Based on my personal experience taking professor In's criminal justice courses, I was captivated by his ability to efficiently introduce students to theories of crime, as well as the philosophical interpretations of reasonable responses to such theories. With regard to professor Tarantino's and Ahumada's philosophy courses, I admired the manner in which they were structured because a great deal of the discussions assisted students in acquiring deeper understanding of who they are, how to identify their purpose, and the various ways that we, as humans, perceive the world.
Class I never expected to love:
During the summer semester, Arrupe offered an elective philosophy course on healthcare ethics and its role in society. I had assumed that the course would include components from the philosophy of medicine, indicating it would have been tailored toward pre-med students. I was surprised by the professor's approach to introducing students to conceptions of what it means to "live well" and what it means to leave behind a life well lived when a person experiences death. I found much of the content interesting because I never gave much thought about such circumstances until enrolling in the course.
Best thing I've done since coming to Arrupe:
The best thing I did at Arrupe College was participating in the Ignatian Seminar: Finding Purpose and Identity—A Journey in the Spirit of Ignatius in Rome, Italy.
My favorite spot on campus:
I admired the Office of Student Success (OSS) the most because I often found myself having meaningful conversations with the faculty that were located there. It offered a very welcoming atmosphere for students.
Some surprisingly cool things about Arrupe:
One of the surprising cool things about Arrupe College is how the institution offers its students a sense of community for students. I would describe Arrupe as an anomaly among other forms of two-year educational institutions.