Bading House
Mission
The Bading House is an intentional community of students who desire to be part of the living fabric of the Maywood community. Rather than remaining visitors or passers-by, we are committed to living in Maywood and getting to know its members as our neighbors. We are united in our passion for service and social justice, both in Maywood and beyond, and find that living out our vocations in the context of community provides us with support, inspiration, and encouragement in our work. We are inspired by the Jesuit value of living as People For Others.
History
Four Stritch students founded the Bading House during the 2007-2008 school year. These students chose to live in solidarity with Maywood residents in order to better understand the community’s challenges, partner with the community through service, and raise awareness of the needs of the underserved. The house has traditionally aimed to have each graduating class represented by at least one member of the house. This has enabled us to exchange viewpoints between students at various points in their medical training and to provide support, advice, and encouragement for students across classes.
What Are We Doing?
Specific projects develop based on each student’s interests and involvement. Throughout the years, members have been involved with the COVID Equity Response Collaborative: Loyola (CERCL), Proviso Food Pantry, Enrich Community Garden, the Quinn Center, Maywood Fine Arts, and the Maywood Youth Mentoring. An important goal of our house has been to increase student presence and involvement in Maywood. Before COVID, community members helped host the annual Health Sciences Campus Ignatian Day of Service, CCGH Global Health Equity Dinners, several Ministry events, and occasional social events for students. This year, we find ourselves growing in community through shared time, spirituality nights, and weekly meals, but each year the community’s structure reflects the unique needs and desires of its current members. We welcome people of all backgrounds to join us in building community in the coming year.
Community Members
Kellie Steele
I grew up in the small town of Metamora in Central Illinois and knew from an early age that I wanted to peruse a career in medicine. I went to undergrad at Greenville University in Southern Illinois and studied Biology, Chemistry, and Spanish, where I developed a passion for working with those underserved and marginalized. After graduating, I had the opportunity to spend a year in the Dominican Republic and work with a community health organization. Between our rural clinics, home visits, and patient education, I began to gain a broader view of the field of medicine, which helped me decide to do the MD/MPH program, on the Global Health Equity track. As soon as I heard about the Bading House, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I am so grateful for the passion and community-mindedness of my fellow classmates who push me to expand my faith and worldview as we strive to live in solidarity with one another and our Maywood neighbors.
Ermelinda Ndoka
I am from Albania, a small country known for its hospitality. Spending my childhood there, I learned the importance of community and care. I moved to the US and was shaped by the sacrificial love of my parents. I attended the University of Michigan where I studied Neuroscience and had many opportunities to discover my passion for medicine and service. While there, I also grew in my Catholic faith and understood God’s primacy in my life. This growth, aided by a small community at the University, made me see the need to be challenged and to continue growing in my faith. Further, I saw service as a personal responsibility to take action in using my gifts for others. Volunteering at a clinic during that time, I saw the value that unhindered personal care offers. Though I still need to learn a lot, I hope to use the insight I have as a medical student in Maywood and beyond. I am thankful for the community at the Bading House; I know each member will help me become a physician for the whole person.
Megan McDermott
A few things about me! After growing up and graduating high school just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, I left the US to pursue a calling in my heart to work with the Missionaries of Charity (the religious community of Mother Teresa). Discerning a religious vocation at the time, I was unsurprised to find the God of surprises changing my life course as I came to know the vocation of medicine through the work of the community. After completing my bachelors at Franciscan University I was overjoyed to continue my education at Stritch. Living at the Bading House in and practicing intentional community life in Maywood during my third year has been a tremendous gift.
Mission
The Bading House is an intentional community of students who desire to be part of the living fabric of the Maywood community. Rather than remaining visitors or passers-by, we are committed to living in Maywood and getting to know its members as our neighbors. We are united in our passion for service and social justice, both in Maywood and beyond, and find that living out our vocations in the context of community provides us with support, inspiration, and encouragement in our work. We are inspired by the Jesuit value of living as People For Others.
History
Four Stritch students founded the Bading House during the 2007-2008 school year. These students chose to live in solidarity with Maywood residents in order to better understand the community’s challenges, partner with the community through service, and raise awareness of the needs of the underserved. The house has traditionally aimed to have each graduating class represented by at least one member of the house. This has enabled us to exchange viewpoints between students at various points in their medical training and to provide support, advice, and encouragement for students across classes.
What Are We Doing?
Specific projects develop based on each student’s interests and involvement. Throughout the years, members have been involved with the COVID Equity Response Collaborative: Loyola (CERCL), Proviso Food Pantry, Enrich Community Garden, the Quinn Center, Maywood Fine Arts, and the Maywood Youth Mentoring. An important goal of our house has been to increase student presence and involvement in Maywood. Before COVID, community members helped host the annual Health Sciences Campus Ignatian Day of Service, CCGH Global Health Equity Dinners, several Ministry events, and occasional social events for students. This year, we find ourselves growing in community through shared time, spirituality nights, and weekly meals, but each year the community’s structure reflects the unique needs and desires of its current members. We welcome people of all backgrounds to join us in building community in the coming year.
Community Members
Kellie Steele
I grew up in the small town of Metamora in Central Illinois and knew from an early age that I wanted to peruse a career in medicine. I went to undergrad at Greenville University in Southern Illinois and studied Biology, Chemistry, and Spanish, where I developed a passion for working with those underserved and marginalized. After graduating, I had the opportunity to spend a year in the Dominican Republic and work with a community health organization. Between our rural clinics, home visits, and patient education, I began to gain a broader view of the field of medicine, which helped me decide to do the MD/MPH program, on the Global Health Equity track. As soon as I heard about the Bading House, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I am so grateful for the passion and community-mindedness of my fellow classmates who push me to expand my faith and worldview as we strive to live in solidarity with one another and our Maywood neighbors.
Ermelinda Ndoka
I am from Albania, a small country known for its hospitality. Spending my childhood there, I learned the importance of community and care. I moved to the US and was shaped by the sacrificial love of my parents. I attended the University of Michigan where I studied Neuroscience and had many opportunities to discover my passion for medicine and service. While there, I also grew in my Catholic faith and understood God’s primacy in my life. This growth, aided by a small community at the University, made me see the need to be challenged and to continue growing in my faith. Further, I saw service as a personal responsibility to take action in using my gifts for others. Volunteering at a clinic during that time, I saw the value that unhindered personal care offers. Though I still need to learn a lot, I hope to use the insight I have as a medical student in Maywood and beyond. I am thankful for the community at the Bading House; I know each member will help me become a physician for the whole person.
Megan McDermott
A few things about me! After growing up and graduating high school just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, I left the US to pursue a calling in my heart to work with the Missionaries of Charity (the religious community of Mother Teresa). Discerning a religious vocation at the time, I was unsurprised to find the God of surprises changing my life course as I came to know the vocation of medicine through the work of the community. After completing my bachelors at Franciscan University I was overjoyed to continue my education at Stritch. Living at the Bading House in and practicing intentional community life in Maywood during my third year has been a tremendous gift.