Voice of the Ventures, Summer 2015

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Caitie Goddard’s Big Adventure
Every year, Bishop Foley Catholic
High School picks one or two alumni
to receive the Distinguished Alumni
Award. This is no easy feat as BFC
has a plethora of successful and
notable alumni. However, this year,
one alum stood out from the rest.
Caitie Goddard, Class of 2002, is an
incredible woman who saw a need
in the world today and decided she
could help make a difference.
Upon graduating from BFC in 2002,
Caitie went on to play basketball
for the University of Detroit-Mercy.
Caitie received a Bachelors of
Business Administration from the
University of Detroit-Mercy, while
on a full scholarship as a Division
I women’s basketball player, and a
Master of Public Policy degree from
the University of Michigan. Caitie
grew up and lived in the wonderful
mitten state until the age of 22 when
a family trip to Lebanon sparked a
previously dormant interest in travel
and development.
Caitie felt a need in the world when
she was selected to work on a
fellowship in Kampala, Uganda with
Global Alliance for Legal Aid while
attending graduate school. She
wanted to help make a difference in
the lives of these individuals, but also
teach others to make a difference.
This sparked the idea for IC3
Academy. Together with her friend,
Colin Salisbury, Caitie helped create
the IC3 Academy just over six years
ago. IC3 Academy was founded on
the mantra “I Can Create Change”
and is backed by the belief that
everyone has a purpose bigger than
themselves. IC3 Academy began over
six years ago as a 7-day intensive
conference to promote social change
by providing the tools and inspiration
to participants pursuing their dreams.
Conferences have been held in
seven locations on four continents
and alumni have come from over 20
countries.
Still operating with the mission to
provide the tools and resources
to individuals working to make a
difference, Caitie and Colin realized
that for some projects, a 7-day
workshop was just the beginning. IC3
Academy has expanded to provide
year-long training for adults including
mentorship and a diploma in social
innovation through the UN Mandated
University for Peace Centre for
Executive Education.
Caitie’s role as Director for the
IC3 Academy includes facilitating
workshops and conferences
around the world and designing
the curriculum accompanying the
Meaningful Summer opportunity
for high school seniors and
undergraduates.
In addition to working with IC3,
Caitie also continues to help those
that are less fortunate by helping
to organize and lead international
trips, including traveling to Cusco,
Peru through the Global Volunteer
Network Foundation’s Eat So They
Can Distribution trip. She also led
18 graduate students to Yangon,
Myanmar to study international
economic development with the
International Economic Development
Program through the University of
Michigan. Most recently, Caitie worked
with the University of Michigan and
the National Institute for Speech and
Hearing in Kerala, India to create
a national website for the Indian
disability community.
Caitie was presented
with her Distinguished
Alumni Award from
Bishop Foley Catholic
during the Catholic
School’s Week K-12
Mass at Guardian
Angels. She gave an
awesome speech to
all the students and
spent the morning
talking to students and
catching up with some
teachers she had while
at BFC. The following
is an excerpt of Caitie’s
speech.
9
“Not once, in any place I’ve traveled
has anyone asked me how many
points I scored in high school or how
many state championships I won
on the soccer team. No one ever
asked me if I got an A in my Honors
Literature class or how good I am
at Calculus. What people will want
to know is your Ubuntu, or how you
demonstrate your faith. Your Catholic
education is setting you up for your
Ubuntu: to be a generous, hospitable
friendly and compassionate person.
Your Catholic education is challenging
you to live a life of successful service
whether it be the head of your
own business, a highly regarded
surgeon or the best auto mechanic
in Michigan. All of these career paths
are valuable and necessary to make a
community work.”
Congratulations, Caitie! You make all
of us here at BFC very proud!
Caitie in her high school days, signing her letter of
intent to play basketball at U of D Mercy.