The Ratio Studiorum Program (RSP) at Creighton was developed to help transition freshmen from high school into the

collegiate lifestyle. 

By providing a built-in friend and support group, RSP ensures that each student has a personal resource for adjusting to college. Typically, RSP groups read a book and discuss the content in relation to the students’ own lives. Each faculty preceptor dictates the specific ins and outs of the class, but this year, one RSP made a particular effort to understand the Jesuit values in day-to-day life. 

Kathy Padilla, a Spanish professor at Creighton, read the novel “Tattoos on the Heart” by the Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J. The book follows a variety of gangsters who struggle with gang violence and finding a better life. 

Padilla’s RSP read the book and discussed it on several occasions. Her inspiration for reading the story came from her son’s commencement ceremony in 2009 where Boyle spoke.

Boyle is a Jesuit and truly embodies “living for and with others”.  

“I wanted to come up with some ways that students could reflect on the book that might be more hands-on,” Padilla said. 

After researching Homeboy Industries and the different companies that help gangsters reinvent new, better lives for themselves, Padilla stumbled across the clothing company associated with the larger industry. Creating T-shirts was a perfect way for students to reflect on the book and develop a response to the topics covered in the novel. 

The students participated in discussions before and after their art project and then wrote reflections about the book and their shirts. In addition, the class watched the documentary “G-Dog.” The T-shirts were personal responses about how failure, success and struggle affected them and others. The students used at least one quote from the novel in the making of their shirts. While the T-shirts are not specific to a single homeboy or homegirl from the book, they do incorporate the themes in the book. “‘Tattoos on the Heart’ contains numerous stories about unconditional love and overcoming hardship amidst the gang atmosphere. After hearing all of the class discussions and reading their accompanying reflections, I see that the students have channeled these themes into their own experiences,” RSP decurion and first year Pharmacy student, Linnea

Tokushige said. 

Boyle’s novel has touched many people, and many RSP groups are experiencing the novel and the tattoo it has left on their hearts. The T-shirts are hanging in the hallway on the first floor of the Hitchcock building. The thought beneath the creations was present as many used a combination of imagery

and words. 

Kindness, love and compassion are all integral aspects of the Creighton community, and RSP functions as a way to not only to help freshmen adjust to college, but also to welcome them.  “Tattoos on the Heart” seems like an unlikely novel to resonate with incoming freshmen, but often the realization of unfamiliar experiences motivates people to make changes for the betterment of all. The T-shirts created by Padilla’s RSP are reminders of the individual’s experience and the compassion we strive for every day.