All Christendom alumni are called to go out into the culture and “restore all things in Christ.” That mission lends itself naturally to lives of service, where alumni work to help people in times of need. For alumni Bobby Scanlon (’18) and Richard Blank (’18), that desire to serve others led them to careers as first responders, with Scanlon serving as a member of the United States Secret Service and Blank serving as a firefighter and EMT. Both spoke at the first Life on Tap alumni networking series event of 2021, sharing their success stories and encouraging students to be leaders in their communities post-graduation.
Blank, who earned his B.A. in philosophy from Christendom, spoke first, revealing his journey to eventually becoming a first responder. The fourth member of his family to attend Christendom at the time, Blank originally wanted to go into the military, following the example of his father. That desire continued on into college, as he dove into everything Christendom had to offer — from playing soccer, to serving as an RA, and to helping prospective students as a Best Week Ever high school summer program counselor.
Early into college, however, Blank’s plans were changed by a new wrinkle: he met the woman who would eventually become his wife. As their relationship became more serious, Blank’s desires for going overseas diminished and he began to pray on what aspects of the military he was most interested in that could be found in another job.
Eventually, he discerned a calling to become a firefighter and EMT and was accepted into school for both. As he went through school and ultimately began working as a firefighter and EMT, he began to see the effects of his Christendom education on his work.
“Being an RA taught me to lead people and taught me how to interact with people,” said Blank. “A lot of stuff in the EMS world is being able to communicate with people and being able to actually identify what’s wrong and what they need. Being here also trained me to think a certain way, how to properly delve into topics and learn to understand them, and what questions to ask. Once I was at recruit school, I began to ask questions all the time, trying to understand everything as much as possible.”
His time at Christendom also prepared him for engaging with the secular world, including how to defend his Faith and provide answers for why he believes what he believes.
“While you’re here, really soak up everything you can of this Catholic culture so that you know what goodness is and can bring it out into the broader culture,” encouraged Blank.
Blank closed his talk by encouraging students to pursue something fulfilling for a career, rather than settling for less.
“You need a job that can provide for your family, but your job should also be something that is fulfilling to you and gives you meaning,” closed Blank. “So, explore your options and keep an open mind.”
Scanlon agreed with Blank’s thoughts on how important it is to soak up the Catholic culture while at Christendom, going even further by properly emphasizing the need to learn how to communicate with others as well if you want to be successful as a first responder — something that Christendom’s liberal arts education helps with.
“Communication is a critical aspect of law enforcement,” said Scanlon. “Any degree from here can translate into knowing how to present an argument, finding out information, and bettering yourself. Communication is a big part of my job in the Secret Service because I have to communicate with the public on a day-to-day basis. We’re also dealing with a lot of different threats. Internally, you have to be able to communicate with people and meet them where they are at.”
Like Blank, Scanlon came from a military background and was interested in pursuing a similar career after college. He eventually discerned a career in law enforcement and spent the rest of his time at Christendom properly preparing for it. For him, one of the greatest resources came from the college’s Teaching Practicum, which provided him with first-hand experience with how to talk to different groups of people.
“One of the greatest things that I took from my education here was the teaching practicum, which gave me the opportunity to go and present in front of students and adapt to how they learn,” explained Scanlon. “If you want to be any form of leader, you need to be able to communicate to any given person on any given level.”
Scanlon gave students helpful advice on what to do now if they are interested in a career in law enforcement, from the aforementioned communication skills to utilizing Christendom’s gym to better their physical fitness. Finally, Scanlon also encouraged students to go out into the community at large and serve others, from helping with Christendom’s Loaves and Fishes food ministry to assisting with putting together events.
“You have to have compassion as a first responder and see Christ in other people,” concluded Scanlon. “The ways that you can build that compassion is by going out and serving others.”
Christendom’s Life on Tap series provides students with the chance to learn from and speak to successful alumni about their careers. While discerning a career can be daunting, the Life on Tap series gives students opportunities to learn more about potential paths towards finding their vocation.
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