News

VC graduate finds she has mission in life

Megan Lutz of Oil City, an outstanding runner and a state qualifier for Venango Catholic High School and Oil City High School, was profiled in August in the John Carroll University newsletter as a scholar-athlete.

Lutz, daughter of Deb Lutz of Oil City, is a senior at John Carroll where she has earned honorable mention as a 2011 Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference, women's cross country and track teams for two consecutive years.

The following article, written by Chris Wenzler, John Carroll University sports information director, is being reprinted with the university's permission.

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Oil City, Pa., is a stone's throw from Franklin and a quick jaunt down the road from Titusville.

It is also 1,000 miles from Ecuador.

Megan Lutz felt every bit of that distance when she sat aboard a plane heading toward that South American country in late May 2010. "That was my moment of panic," said Lutz as she recounted her first campus ministry immersion experience at John Carroll. "I was thinking, 'what am I doing here?'"

The girl from a small city halfway between Pittsburgh and Erie, whose graduating class from Venango Catholic High School tallied 27 seniors, and whose fluency in Spanish was beginner level at best, was about to face the challenge of her life.

Just another day in the life of Megan Lutz.

Hailing from a town of just over 10,000 inhabitants, Lutz was and still is proud of her one and only hometown.

"When I go for my run, I will always see someone I know," Lutz said. "Almost every face is a familiar one, which can be both good and bad. I love seeing them, but it extends the workout because inevitably I'll stop to talk." It is a place she would love to come back to after graduation, but there was a definite pull to see the world first.

When it came time to seek out a college, she aimed big, targeting the likes of Notre Dame and Villanova.

Then her mother stumbled upon John Carroll.

'It might be a cliche, but when I first stepped on campus for a visit, I fell in love with the place," she said. "The people, the size, the academics ... it just felt like where I needed to be."

It also happened to be a good fit for her athletic career. A cross country runner from a high school program that was coached by the local pastor, Lutz and her small-in-number team had often competed against much bigger schools on a consistent basis. There would be no intimidation factor running at John Carroll.

"My mother was right," Lutz said with a laugh. "I really love competing and being on this team. I never would have had that opportunity at a bigger school like the ones I had initially applied to. Being a part of cross country has really been a positive experience in so many ways."

Lutz is now a senior and entering the second year of being a team captain. Based on the athletes returning as well as a strong freshman class, she feels very optimistic about the team she will be leading.

....When the competitive season ends, Lutz will turn to her life's pursuit of becoming a teacher. She has already done observations and will spend one day per week in the fall in a classroom. She will then spend the spring semester completing her student teaching requirements before picking up her diploma.

As an education major with a 3.97 grade point average, Lutz admits to be chomping at the bit to start her career.

"I love how education is the one major where you get a practice year before getting started on your own," she said.

All the while that Lutz has balanced academics and athletics, she has found time to give back in which ever community she can offer her benevolence. At first, it was in Oil City where Venango Catholic required its students to volunteer 25 hours of community service each year. She would teach religious education or get involved in downtown beautification projects.

Then, at John Carroll, she was encouraged to look into what campus ministry had to offer during Sunday Masses and followed through by joining the Christian Life Communities and signing up for immersion experiences. That eventually put her on the plane to Ecuador.

... Fueled by that first trip, Lutz has since gone to Jamaica and will be heading down to New Orleans in January.

Lutz admits her life is "meticulously planned," and credits her absolute dependency on "to-do lists" a a key to her sanity as well as her success.

At the same time, it is the unexpected moments that nourish her spirit.

"...I remember standing there (on top of a high hill in Ecuador) and just being in awe," Lutz said. "This feeling came over me that is hard to describe, but it was just a sense that despite all the challenges I encountered, this is where I was meant to be at this place and time."

Originally published in The Derrick on September 13, 2011.