Medrea’s persistence and determination guide everything she does. When she decided to learn Spanish by going on a summer exchange with the college (bringing her language fluency list up to four), she went to the University of Granada even though the Modern Languages Department canceled the program. “She just jumps in and follows through,” says Spanish Professor Elizabeth Fouts.

This year, Medrea created her own spring break trip to Romania even though it is not an official Spring Break Alternative location. She gathered a small group of Saint Anselm College students and faculty, as well as members of her church, to travel to Romania to build a playground at an orphanage. She spearheaded fundraising and arranged for host families. Her family offered to cook meals and provide transportation.

Medrea is also largely responsible for the continuation of the English for New Americans Program which serves more than 150 immigrants in Manchester. She began helping in the ESOL (English as Second or Other Language) classes as the service learning option in a psychology class, then returned the following year as a volunteer teaching her own class. When state funding was cut, her advocacy led to the Meelia Center for Community Service’s successful bid to take over the program. Medrea worked with other students to rally the necessary forces, coordinating weekly meetings and helping to write curriculum and select a full-time director. She is now student coordinator for the program, which is run by a federal grant for refugee resettlement and money from the Cogswell Benevolent Trust. She works closely with the new director, Angela Spitia.

“When I found out that the program would be stopped, I said ‘this cannot happen,’” says Medrea. “It really helps people who are refugees to feel more comfortable in the community and find a job or get heating for their apartment. They could be my parents or my grandparents. I bring them the newspaper and explain how to find a job, how to pay a bill, how to prepare for a certification exam so they can work in their profession. I feel as though I am really helping someone, but I learn even more from them. It’s amazing for me to listen to their experiences.”

Medrea sometimes behaves like a typical college student. She loses her gloves somewhere between ESL class and campus. One night during exams last semester, she went to see “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” when she should have been studying. But she is unusually well grounded and independent, and has as many close friends among adults—host families, professors, employers, admission staff—as among classmates. She has worked in several college departments, and is quick to establish a rapport. On campus, she stops often to chat, asking people about their families, their work, where they are going on vacation.

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