Background: Jeremy Cairl, a Georgetown Junior, was awarded the Corp Homecoming Humanitarian Award. He was recognized for his efforts as a committed volunteer at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, which cares for individuals with serious mental illnesses. Nafees Ahmed, a research assistant at the Berkley Center and member of the Georgetown College class of 2012, interviewed him on November 4, 2011. In the interview he discusses how his academic background in psychology and theology helps him in his social work. He recalls conversations with the residents of St. Elizabeth’s about their faith. Jeremy talks about why he is committed to volunteering and the personal satisfaction he derives from it.
What is your background in social work?
I did the obligatory community service in high school, but I wasn’t very passionate about it. When I got to Georgetown, I went to SAC fair and saw the St. Elizabeth’s Outreach program. The prospect of going to a mental hospital immediately piqued my interest. From the beginning I had a very positive experience. I felt it had a positive impact on me personally and on the residents there as well. I have gone every Friday since then.
It doesn’t feel like community service, its something that’s fun to do. Most people don’t get that, which is understandable. When I first started volunteering, I tried to enroll all my friends. I wanted to include as many people as possible, but I came to realize that this work isn’t for everyone. I have become really close with the regular St. E’s volunteers, as we share this common interest.
Does this work relate to your academic experience at Georgetown?
Volunteering at St. Elizabeth’s coincides with my major in psychology. At first, I was unsure about what to major in, but then I took Professor Steven Sabat’s psychology course. That class sealed the deal for me. Professor Sabat always emphasized that people with mental afflictions are people too, and we always need to keep that in mind. He taught us that when a doctor diagnoses a patient, they can become just a label and somewhat dehumanized. For example, someone who has schizophrenia is not simply a schizophrenic but a person with schizophrenia.
That was an influence for me in the way I conduct myself with the residents. You can tell the difference between someone who tries to analyze the condition and someone who really tries to understand the person. Basically, I don’t think you can get close to someone if you see them as a syndrome.
I took Abnormal Psychology last fall. Much of the DSN4, the manual for diagnosing mental illness, is quite rigid and not very attentive to basic human aspects. For example, if the person has four of the seven symptoms, they have the illness. If they have less than four, they don’t. It is hard to generalize without understanding a person’s context.
Another thing I learned about in Professor Sabat’s class is iatrogenic illness, where your environment perpetuates your illness. St. E’s tore down the old wards where we went my freshman year. They created a new facility, which is much nicer. The old one spoke to this concept of an iatrogenic illness; it felt like a dark place and looked like an old rickety brick building. There is security at every level and air locks. You cannot open the door in front of you without the door behind you closing. Only the security guard can let you in the elevators. In the new facility, they try to make it look like more like a home than hospital.
What is your perspective on community service?
Community service is seen as obligatory, as something nice to do and something you should do to be a good person. But people don’t see it as something necessary for social chance. This is something I have learned from the Center for Social Justice. This year, I have reflected on it a lot while working at St. E’s, and I’ve been talking with the volunteer coordinator there. One day she said something that really hit me: we, as volunteers, are the residents’ only connection to the outside world.
One of the residents, Craig, recently told me that when we come every Friday, it reminds him that there are still people out there that care and there are good people in the world. It reminded me that when residents are at St. E’s they are not allowed to leave and many have been there for decades. In this state, it is easy to see the world as a dark place. In that way I feel that I am affecting tremendous change. I would like to see an attitude shift towards community service, to show people that they actually are making an impact.
How is your work inspired by your faith or morals?
I feel I am repaid every time I go. The appreciation and gratitude I see in the residents is so evident. Of course the work can be very exhausting. When you hear someone’s story and try to imagine what its like, it can be taxing. There are many days I leave completely wiped. It takes energy and effort, but because of it, I feel like I have grown a lot. What I receive is contained in the effort itself.
I wasn’t raised with any particular religion. I would not consider myself a religious person, but a spiritual person. As a Theology minor, I’m very interested in different religions of the world and their different takes, not just from a sociological, political perspective, but how it affects the individual.
My personal take is that I don’t think the people who we look up to, like saints, were driven by an obligation or duty. But I think that if you are going to do something and thrive in it you must do it well. I think morals or religion can inspire you. But your personal drive will sustain the action.
Have you faced any conflict in your work with St. E’s?
I spoke with a girl on my freshman floor who asked me, “Why do you even bother with these people? They are never going to contribute to society. They have committed crimes, so why do they deserve this?” She basically was asking why I am wasting my time. My first reaction to this was anger. This is another motivator for me—trying to show people that this does make a difference.
I think a lot of people think it’s not worth their time. We love it so much, and that’s why we do it. But it also happens to be a tremendous benefit for others. St. E’s volunteering focuses on people who are very much forgotten and neglected. Everyone talks about prisons in America, but people in mental hospitals are never even brought to discussion. Many people have an out of sight, out of mind attitude. The very fact that this hospital is located in Anacostia in South East, D.C. speaks to that, especially since Georgetown is so isolated. A lot of people are simply unaware. You cannot make a change about something if you don’t know about it.
How has Georgetown helped you in your journey?
Taking Problem of God led me to become a theology minor. I’m a huge fan of the head of the Theology department, Professor Terrance Reynolds.
I’m also extremely grateful for the Center of Social Justice who gives us the funds to buy games and everything we bring, the funds to advertise, and the vans. Without the CSJ, we really couldn’t do this. Georgetown through the CSJ has really motivated this.
What is the intersection between interfaith dialogue and community service?
I have not had much had direct experience with interfaith dialogue. But I am interested in the idea of using the collaboration of different faiths for community service.
In terms of my own experience, in St. E’s I have spoken at length with residents about faith. Many of them are very pious and speaking with them has also allowed me to grow spiritually. Going there with an open-minded attitude toward different religions is crucial. I think if you happen to be a religious or spiritual person, you could bring a lot more to the table for a lot of these residents and have very enlightening conversations on those points, which I have been lucky to have on some occasions.
It has made me think about the role faith plays in coping with something like this. Living in St. E’s, faith does seem to be a source of great solace for a lot of these people.
Windel is a resident I have spoken to the most to about these issues. He is very well versed in the Bible and carries one on him at all times. He knows many parts by heart. When I first met him and told him my name, he immediately said “Jeremy, like Jeremiah, the prophet.”
In a very friendly and caring way we bounce our own ideas off each other. I’m not aligned with any particular religion but I do believe in god, a divine power. Windel is a devout Christian. But we’ve discussed the omnipresence of god, how personal suffering can lead to growing closer to god. We’ve shared a lot of discussion about that. It’s interesting to speak to a devout Christian about these issues, even though I’m not Christian, and find we have a lot to agree on. I’ve also opened my eyes to what Christianity can offer in someone’s life. It is one thing to study it in the classroom in an objective manner and another thing to talk to someone about Christianity, the role of Jesus Christ in their life, and how that worship affects them. That’s a totally different ball game. I think discussions about faith have a twofold effect—hearing others' perspectives and shaping my own perspectives.
Any final remarks?
I would like to thank the Corp for giving me this recognition. I think awareness is a big issue here and I appreciate that this work has come to the forefront with the award and with this interview. I’m happy our organization has come onto the Georgetown radar. If anyone is interested in joining us, I’d love to hear from them.
