Timothy Delong joins us from Michigan and brings a great personality, a dedication to the community and a passion to learn with him. Find our more about Timothy and his work below. Also, “if you see [him] around campus, just say hey!”
Nickname:
Funny story: I’m named after my dad, so my family assumed, before I was born, that my nickname would be TJ (Tim Jr.). When I was born everyone took one look at me and said, “nope, not a TJ”. Most people know me as Tim, although my mom still calls me Timmy or Little Tim to avoid confusing my dad.
Hometown:
I was born and raised in Troy, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit. That said, since I lived in the city for a short period of time and worked with various non-profits in the city, I consider myself a Detroiter through and through.
Previous education:
Albion College – Class of 2014 (Go Brits!), BA in Religious Studies, Concentration in Public Service, Minor in Economics and Management
A favorite of yours:
I hate to be derivative of my dear friend Alicia (previously featured), but I love to cook. There’s something about playing with flavors that’s incredibly exciting to me. On the weekends I’ll pick out a recipe for each day, get the ingredients, and start cooking. If I’m cooking something for the first time, I’ll follow a recipe; if it’s something I’ve made a couple of times, then I’ll get weird with it.
Plus, I just started brewing my own beer!
A quote/motto that has significance to you:
I like to remember that life is about the little things. A lot of people (myself included) constantly look towards the big events in their lives as markers of success or happiness (when I get married/buy a house/graduate from school I’ll be happy). I would much rather focus on happiness in the here and now by appreciating the little miracles that life presents to us every day. Some people refer to the concept of mindfulness. I also try to tout this message in the struggle to live a good life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been proud of myself for participating in some large service event and then come home and act rude towards my parents. Those big things are great, but life presents us with a million opportunities a day to do good for others. Those “little goods” often go unnoticed, but they’re the ones that really count. I’ve heard it said, “how you spend your days is how you spend your life.” Something like that…
What were you doing before beginning your IPS journey?
I’m fresh out of Albion; I graduated this past May. During the summer and part of the school year, I worked as an AmeriCorps Volunteer as a community organizer with Wayne State University’s Center for Urban Studies, forming block clubs and tenant organizations while also managing large service projects like house board-ups, community clean-ups, and creating safe walking routes for kids going to school. Before that I took a summer to live in an intentional community in Detroit and work for the United Methodist Church. I also spent a semester in Chicago, doing research at the Newberry Library. Little did I know that I would be working on my Master’s degree only a couple blocks away! So, in conclusion, I was all over the place doing all sorts of things.
What made you decide to come to Loyola IPS?
I didn’t see another program like it. I was working for all of these non-profits, and when I saw Loyola’s program, I said: Wait, you can major in that? It was really interesting to see a combination of the practical and theoretical in one program.
Plus it’s Chicago…so there’s that.
What are your studies focused on?
Social Justice right now; I’m also looking into the School of Social Work’s certificate in Non-Profit Management
What are you most looking forward to accomplishing during your time here at Loyola IPS and how does that relate to your future goals?
I’m interested in theory and application. There’s this drive that I think all of us in the program have to do good things for the world, but sometimes it’s hard to articulate why. Hopefully I can use my time at Loyola to build a framework around my work and develop a fuller understanding of myself in the process. I need to ground my work in something, that’s what will make it sustainable over my lifetime. Now I’m realizing that I used “framework” and “grounding” analogies, which seem contradictory. I never said I was an English major.
Do you have a favorite class or one you look forward to taking?
Right now I have Rabbi Goldstein in Leadership for Social Justice Organizations. He does a great job of bringing real-world experience to the topic of leadership. Right now we’re working in groups to create our own, fictitious non-profit!
Do you have any recommendations for future students?
Another Social Justice first-year, Daniel Guzman, gave me some great advice when we first started. He told me that you have to have a purpose going into graduate school, you have to know exactly what you want to get out of it, and why. I would echo his advice to future students.
In what way will you go forth to “change the world”?
One house at a time! Let me explain…
I work full-time for a non-profit organization in Winnetka called Open Communities as a Housing Counselor. If people start to have trouble paying their mortgage, they come to our office and we advocate on their behalf to the bank. Sometimes it feels like you’re drowning in a pile of paperwork or running into a brick wall, but at the end of the day, I remember that we’re helping people save their homes, which is pretty humbling. I don’t know if that’s “changing the world,” but it’s a step in the right direction.
Are you currently working on any interesting project(s) that you wish to share?
I started at Open Communities a little over a month ago, so I’m still learning every day, which is exciting and challenging all at once.
In the future, I’m going to have the opportunity to sift through foreclosure data for Cook County to look at different trends in terms of predatory and fair lending practices. I get really excited about trend analysis, so that will be a fun project.
What is a fun fact or story about you?
I was a bit of a rabble rouser back in my community organizing days….
There was one apartment building owned by a man who kept the structure in terrible conditions: lead paint, the elevator never worked, and infestations. After working with some of the residents and hearing about all of the issues, our team decided to show up one morning with an inspector from Building Safety and Engineering. I was met at the front door by the building’s security guard, as the inspector started issuing thousands of dollars’ worth of fines….
To this day, I am still banned from the building.
Any additional information you would like to share:
Detroit is one of my favorite places in the world. Don’t believe the negative hype: go there and check it out for yourself. If the spirit moves you, ask me for a tour, I love showing people around when I’m in town!
Join the conversation by following @BrianSchmisek on Twitter and @LoyolaIPS on Instagram! Also, network with the Loyola Chicago IPS community on LinkedIn.
Thompson graduated from IPS with a master’s degree in Religious Education. In addition to being an author, he has served the Archdiocese of Chicago as a deacon since 2011.
