Carly Jordan—implementing health in her community now.

Carly Jordan comes from a small town, but has one of the biggest hearts of anyone we’ve ever met. “I grew up in Turner, Maine, and was lucky enough to be supported and involved within the community from an early age. I’ve always had an interest in volunteering, fundraising and donating, so I started volunteering at the community library as soon as I was able to.”

When Carly first arrived at SJC, she wasted no time and immediately got involved with as many opportunities she could find. The SJC senior is majoring in Health and Wellness, is a minor in Exercise Science and Integrative Health and Biology, all while working as an RA, participating in track and cross country, the SAA, student government, and working at the Mercy Center as social justice support staff. If you need a minute to take all that in, don’t worry, we did too.

“When I first came to Saint Joe’s, I was told that everyone finds their place here, and that there’s something for everyone. I wasn’t able to understand that completely until I got on campus and fully immersed myself in the SJC community. Now I have so many roles it can occasionally get overwhelming. But I can’t pick just one!”

With an ever evolving commitment to supporting her community, wherever that may be, Carly worked closely with The Mercy Center her freshman year and began running campus programs that focused primarily on student’s mental health.

“I love majoring in Community Health because you’re always looking for ways to make a community whole and figuring out how to get people within the community involved. I’m so lucky to have resources like the Mercy Center to get me off the ground in terms of community service, and to collaborate with professors who are equally passionate about helping others in need.”

Carly has worked closely with her professors throughout her four years at Saint Joe’s. Most recently, she was able to submit a grant application with Biology Professor Lenore Difiore, and recent Community Kindness subject, Steve Bridge.

“In October I attended the Maine Hunger Dialogue with Lenore Difiore and Steve Bridge. The goal of the Maine Hunger Dialog is to take action to end hunger in the state of Maine. After attending the event, we submitted for a $500 grant for the SJC Commuter Kitchen. Having the encouragement of my peers and mentors backing me at all times is so helpful. When looking for opportunities to help others, I’ve never been discouraged or turned down by anyone at SJC. They’re all for it, always willing to work with me, and want to participate themselves.”

During her sophomore year, Carly decided to take her service work to the next level by joining in on a SJC Mission Trip and traveling to Guatemala. “I had never been outside of the country, so I was very excited for the opportunity. When we got to Guatemala I dove in head first into the work we were doing. I had the time of my life. When I came back from the trip I realized that it confirmed what I wanted to do with my life.”

But it is a recent trip to Mississippi that has impacted Carly so deeply, that she said it changed her life.

“I went to Glendora, Mississippi, in the summer of 2021 for an internship through Partners in Development. Glendora is a very small town with less than 100 residents. It is covered in railroad tracks, and is roughly 25 minutes from any Walmart or grocery store. I knew going into this that Mississippi is one of the most impoverished areas in the country. I had meetings leading up to the trip to help prepare, but you never really know until you go there just how different it is.”

Glendora is the town where Emmett Till’s body was found. While Carly was there, she was able to go to the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, the Sumner Hill Courthouse, where the trial happened, and the Civil Rights Museum.

“While I was in Glendora I lived with a host family, who I credit with helping me completely immerse myself into the culture. I knew I had to keep my mind open and go into this experience with zero expectations. No matter how nerve wracking it may have been at any given time, I understood that it was my job, as one of the only white people, to recognize the racial injustices that are happening to this community, and that it was my responsibility to gain their trust. I went into the experience completely open to anything they asked of me. To allow me into their home after dealing with so much cruelty in the past was an incredible honor, and I’m forever grateful for how open and welcoming they were to me.”

Carly still talks to her “mom” every day via text or Facetime. “I became incredibly close with the mother of the family who hosted me. She and I would sit down every night and I would spend that time asking her questions openly, asking her what her life is like. She generously shared stories about her life as a Black woman in Mississippi. Growing up she cleaned and worked on a cotton field, and she has bad arthritis. I was able to see firsthand the effects on this family from racial injustice and lack of government support. They have so much faith in God and are so forgiving, I was blown away.”

If you haven’t caught on quite yet, Carly is someone who likes to put things into action. “I am a different person after having lived for a brief time in these peoples’ worlds. It was life changing and the best experience of my life. And once I returned I was immediately asking myself what’s next.”

So, what’s next for Carly? “Right now I’m focusing on the Hunger Dialog. Going into this we were not fully aware of the hunger severity issues our campus community faced. I’m a big believer in prevention and education, so we’ve started with the community garden and the community kitchen, and our goal right now is to expand the kitchen. And after graduation, I’ll be attending USM to get my Masters in Public Health. After that? Who knows. Maybe one day I’ll open a community center. But we’ll just have to wait and see.”

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