Hannah McConnaughay, an Outreach Education and Training Associate at the Interfaith Youth Core of Chicago contributed today’s installment of the Newsweek/Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog (Finding Citizen Change-Makers at Boarding School).

A Chicago native she found herself wistful, sad, irritated, and a little jealous that she would miss President Obama’s inauguration.

On inauguration day she found herself on St. Timothy School‘s campus, working with St. Timothy’s students. And, in the end, she understood that there’s no place that she would have rather- or should- have been.

Here’s an excerpt:

“As I heard about these young women’s activities repairing local animal shelters, painting elementary schools, and providing food for the struggling, I saw how they walked their talk, acknowledging their strong differences but working together to provide needed services.

Pretty soon, I realized that I was spending my Inauguration weekend with the people that President Obama was talking about in his Inaugural address, the citizen change-makers who are waking up with a “spirit of service,” working with their neighbors, and taking pride in their nation. In the weeks since visiting St. Timothy’s, I’ve only become more convinced that that’s right where I need to be.” (Washington Post)