Zoe N. Haracz '12

Recent College Graduate, Fordham University
May 2016

Like most new college graduates, Zoe N. Haracz ’12 doesn’t have it all figured out yet. But what she does know for sure is that wherever she’s going, the values of her Jesuit education at Loyola Academy and Fordham University will continue to guide her.

“I am not one to brag, but I know in my head and my heart that we have an absolutely incredible community,” says Haracz of the Loyola family, “Probably the world’s greatest. I am so, so happy to be a part of it.”

Childhood visits to Sachs Stadium instilled in Haracz an early connection to Loyola. “My dad [Peter G. Haracz ’83] is also an alum, and I grew up as a fan of the Ramblers,” she says. Haracz remembers the fun and excitement of attending football games as a student. “The season of my senior year was like that out of a movie,” Haracz says of the 2011–12 varsity football team led by captain and quarterback Malcolm J. Weaver ’12 and teammate James C. “Charlie” Dowdle ’12. “They were so fun to watch,” she adds.

On a whim, Haracz joined the swim team her freshman year—though she had never swum before—and “loved every minute” of the next four years. “Head coach Dennis Stonequist made a brutal sport super fun,” she says. “The chants we did before a meet vibrated any pool area and revved up the team.” Haracz calls the swimming program at Loyola an “amazing community” and admits that she met many of her close friends here. “The sport allowed me to thrive at something I never thought possible,” Haracz adds. “I am so thankful for the seasons I spent as a Loyola swimmer.”

While athletics were an important part of Haracz’s time as a student at Loyola, she recognizes that it was not the only community that played a formative role in her Rambler experience. “I love and am forever grateful for Campus Ministry,” she says. “This department is quite unique and has a special place in my heart.” Haracz mentions, in particular, leading a Kairos retreat as a senior—which she says was “probably the best thing I did at Loyola”— and the guidance of Mrs. Kay Gregg and Mr. Douglas Gleber, who helped her decide between Villanova Nursing School and Fordham University. “He wrote down ‘pro’ and ‘con’ on a sheet of paper, and let me talk out my thoughts as long as it took,” she says.

Haracz decided to attend Fordham University because of its Jesuit affiliation. “There is something captivating about a Jesuit education,” she explains. “My interest in the subject of theology that sparked in grade school and flourished in high school brought me to my major.”

It was the classes of Ms. Rebecca Thiegs and Mr. Michael Conforti that seized Haracz’s interest at Loyola. She remembers looking forward to Ms. Thiegs’s class because “she seemed to teach love through theology.” Haracz credits Mr. Conforti with enlightening her perspective of the world. “He made theology relevant, meaningful and powerful, alongside today’s struggles.”

Haracz is aware that a degree in theology isn’t exactly mainstream, but she also knows that it may give her a competitive edge. “I’m not exactly sure what I will do with my theology major,” she says, “but there is no doubt in my mind that it will help me stand out in an interview.”

What’s also likely to help Haracz stand out is the semester she spent studying sustainability and environmental action—particularly sustainable living and organic farming techniques—in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. “I found myself living on a self-sustaining farm in the deep country of southern Australia,” Haracz recounts.

Notably, Haracz spent six weeks at the Center for Ecology and Spirituality, a retreat center and home of several Christian Brothers outside Melbourne. “I had neither cell service nor Internet connection throughout my stay and loved every minute of it,” she says. “I learned how satisfying it is to live so simply, as well as to work for the food that appeared on our table.”

After this experience, Haracz calls her return to the hustle and bustle of school in the east Bronx “quite difficult,” but it confirmed for her a deep interest in eco-spirituality. “The incorporation of ecology and a deep appreciation for nature, for all of God’s creation, followed me back,” she says.

Haracz hopes to combine a personal passion for photography with the wisdom she learned at the Center for Ecology and Spirituality into a future career. Though she doesn’t see herself teaching “in any conventional way,” she would like to reach a younger audience with her message. “Destroying the environment is the ultimate mistake humans continue to make,” she explains. “As women and men for others, our duty lies in the recognition of this tragedy and the incorporation of changing these ways.”

Back home in Glenview, Haracz is planning the next phase of her journey. “I hope to be in California at some point next year, living outside of LA or working on an organic farm,” she says. “I would love to do something with music out there, too.” For now, she’s trusting the process and following her passions—they haven’t let her down yet. “Studying theology has allowed me to sketch out a realistic future in my mind that seems to include all the dreams I have ever had for this life,” she adds.

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