Newfound Friendships in Nature: 2025 GradGov Retreat
By Shelby Meek
The Grad Gov retreats highlight various goals, leadership vision, and commitment to team morale. It has also served as a place where the seriousness, titles, and roles fade away to make room for newly formed friendships, heartfelt conversations, and spiritual growth.
On September 20th, Campus Ministry hosted the 2025 GradGov retreat to guide graduate students in their intellectual, social, and spiritual development, and give members an opportunity to form relationships that’ll contribute to their success and the success of GradGov going forward.
For students, including Deputy Editor, Amaya Brown, a master’s student in the Professional Studies in Journalism program, and Elected Senator, Arjit Saxena, a master’s student in Professional Studies in Applied Intelligence program, it was a great way to meet people outside of the classroom, along with building a more spiritually connected community within themselves and everyone on the retreat.
“It was refreshing to be in an environment where everyone was open to connecting and supporting one another,” Brown said.
This retreat was GradGov President Kavin Sakthivel’s third time attending, and he said it provides a chance to build a bond with the team in a way that isn’t possible anywhere else, and how it isn’t often “we can bring 65 members of GradGov together for a full 24 hours to learn about each other.”
“In leadership, relationships are the foundation – you can’t collaborate well if you don’t understand or respect each other,” President Kavin Sakthivel said.
This 27-hour retreat was held at the Calcagnini Contemplative Center (CCC) in Bluemont, Virginia, less than two hours away from Georgetown University. The CCC was opened in 2013 and is home to 55 acres of scenic grounds of Bluemont. Members of GradGov will also have the chance to explore the wilderness surrounding the center and overlook of the Shenandoah Valley.
There were multiple activities to keep students entertained in Bluemont, ranging from group meditations to late-night card games and soccer and frisbee games outside the lawn in the rain.
“We played Uno late into the evening, and it was such a fun, lighthearted way to bond. The laughter, playful competition, and shared stories made it feel like we’d known each other much longer than just a weekend,” Brown said.
This mountaintop oasis was gifted by Arthur Calcagnini (C’54) and his wife, who were longtime supporters of Georgetown’s ESCAPE First-Year Experience. They wanted to give students and members of GradGov the chance to foster cohesion, grow as a team, and reaffirm goals to support graduate students professionally, academically, and socially.
Without wifi or technology in the surrounding area of nature, Saxena said that being disconnected from the phone forced him to live in the moment and learn about his peers’ personalities and characteristics.
“It was a moving experience that I know not everyone in Georgetown or even most of GradGov can experience, so I plan on bringing that same type of contemplative and safe space back with me in both my presence & also my actions,” Saxena said.
For Brown and Saxena, the retreat reminded them that community is built not just through big events or official roles, but also through small moments of connection, kindness, and shared experiences, along with being in tune with their spiritual sides.
“It made me excited to contribute more actively to GradGov and motivated me to think about how I can help strengthen our community,” Brown concluded.
The retreat has served as a way for people to come together with open minds and shared goals, but also brought people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, illuminating the power of collaboration and inclusivity in GradGov and Georgetown as a whole. The retreat also helps reflect on Campus Ministry’s true mission of interreligious understanding to reflect a strong community and understanding of other students at Georgetown.